Robert George Murduck
Photograph No. 0009
The Clock Tower, Exmouth
Murduck Photo No. 0009
The Clock Tower, Exmouth, circa 1905
The Clock Tower behind the Esplanade at Exmouth was built in 1897 in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. The estimated cost of the Tower before construction was expected to be around £350.
According to information found at <https://www.exmouthjournal.co.uk/news/23169452.local-history-story-exmouths-clock-tower/>, "Messrs. Kerley and Ellis were appointed as architects and on 15th September 1897 Lady Gertrude Rolle laid the foundation stone for the new clock tower. The design was for it to be built of stone in the manner of a square plan with a tapered pyramid style roof in copper. There were to be clock faces set in sandstone panels with marble corner columns.
"The mechanism was entrusted to clockmakers J W Benson of Ludgate Hill on the City of London who were clock makers to Her Majesty Queen Victoria and The Prince of Wales. They constructed it in a cast-iron frame which was marked with their name on one end and their royal appointment on the other. The clock needed winding twice a week by council workmen and this lasted until 1992 when the mechanism was changed to one that was fully electric.
"In 1978 the clock tower was awarded Grade 2 Listed status. To commemorate the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II, work was carried out to thoroughly overhaul the clock in March 2017. The original mechanism is still in fine working order and is preserved at Exmouth Museum where the stewards wind the clock and visitors can listen to its soothing beat. When the museum is open, do come and see it and marvel at the workmanship. The clock tower still stands majestically on the sea front – forever a symbol of the town."
The image of the postcard photograph above shows R G Murduck's standard form of hand-written attribution along the bottom edge. Note the rounded corners. The particular postcard from which this image was obtained has seen better days - many folds, cracks and other imperfections. When this image came to me, it was suggested that the card had been postally used in 1905, but no solid sense of the postmark date or place, recipient, or sender's message is presently known. This image was very kindly provided by Ian Wright of Exmouth, in 2006.
Many colourized versions of this image have been seen on postcards offered on ebay since 1998, printed by lithography rather than being actual photographic prints. Exactly the same image has been used, but colourized. An example of such a card on which a message was written from Bexhill-on-Sea, dated in 1919 (but not sent through the postal system), is known. The attribution in this case - "Clock Tower, Exmouth. Murduck Photo", was presented in red sans-serif lettering, in the upper left corner, as the image below shows.
__________ Facts about Robert George Murduck's life, 1875-1947, can be found here. A list & details of all photographs which are presently known to have been attributed to Robert George Murduck can be found here. The various means by which R G Murduck's photographs are attributed to himself can be found here. Details about ways you can submit a copy of your photo can be found through this link. If you have additional information about Robert George Murduck, or if you have a photograph (or photographs) which show him or either of his studios, or which can be attributed to him, please ....