Albert Tower

The Albert Memorial Clock is a tall clock tower located in Belfast’s Royal Square. It was built in 1865-1870 in honor of Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. The architect who won the competition for the memorial was Barre, who had already designed Ulster Hall. The tower is located a couple of hundred meters from Customs Square, which is now a pedestrian zone with diners and pubs. The height of the tower is 35 meters.

The tower is built in the style of mixing French and Italian Gothic. At its base are sculptures of lions, and the central part is decorated with a statue of Prince Albert, the work of sculptor Lynn. Inside the tower is a bell weighing two tons, it can be heard when the clock beats time. The clock itself is made by Francis Moon, and the dial is a copy of the one installed in London on Big Ben.

The tower has one feature that makes it even more interesting for tourists. When the building was designed, the calculations missed the fact that the land in that place is marshy, and wooden piles did not cope fully with the huge weight of the top, burdened with massive decorations. The tower began to tilt and some of the jewelry had to be removed. As a result, it now has a small roll to the side in the manner of the world-famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, it is about 1.25 cm.