Belfast’s Leaning Tower of Pisa

The Albert Memorial Clock stands 141-feet high and is sometimes described as Belfast’s leaning tower of Pisa. Its tilt is blamed on the fact that it was constructed on reclaimed land over the River Farset and also weighs a whopping 2,000 tonnes. It was erected between 1865 and 1869 in the Gothic style to commemorate Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert. It was designed by the architect William J Barre, and the clock is by Francis Moore. It also boasts a number of ornately carved crowned lions, angels, gargoyles, and floral decorations sculptured by Samuel Ferris Lynn. Its bell weighs in at two tonnes and can be heard from over eight miles away and it would have offered an excellent vantage point to get a birds-eye view of Titanic’s launch. The clock can be seen in the 1947 film ‘Odd Man Out’ starring James Mason. A multi-million-pound restoration project was completed in 2002 that lovingly restored this amazing landmark back to its former glory.