J3474 : The leaning Albert Clock, Belfast
taken 16 years ago, near to Belfast, Co Antrim, Northern Ireland
This is 1 of 2 images, with title starting with The leaning Albert Clock, Belfast in this square

The leaning Albert Clock, Belfast
To understand the reason for the clock’s lean you have to remember that it is built on reclaimed land and that ships once berthed at the bottom of Waring Street J3474 : Waring Street, Belfast (3) and High Street J3374 : High Street, Belfast - Skipper Street J3474 : Skipper Street, Belfast also refers to this. Much of central Belfast is underlain by a deposit of soft mud and silt - "sleech".
Inst J3374 : RBAI, Belfast and the Custom House J3474 : The Custom House, Belfast are two buildings which are now lower than when built as a result of sinking into the sleech.
The cross-harbour road and railway J3474 : Belfast Cross Harbour Links J3474 : Railway at Bridge End, Belfast J3474 : The M3, Belfast (2) required foundations up to 60 metres deep before reaching firm ground.
The clock is said to be 113 ft tall and to be 14ft off vertical (it was built to imperial measurements). The degree of lean can be appreciated in this comparison with the Custom House Square apartments J3474 : New building, Belfast (2) completed this year. J3474 : The leaning Albert Clock, Belfast (2) shows, for comparison, the view from the east.
Inst J3374 : RBAI, Belfast and the Custom House J3474 : The Custom House, Belfast are two buildings which are now lower than when built as a result of sinking into the sleech.
The cross-harbour road and railway J3474 : Belfast Cross Harbour Links J3474 : Railway at Bridge End, Belfast J3474 : The M3, Belfast (2) required foundations up to 60 metres deep before reaching firm ground.
The clock is said to be 113 ft tall and to be 14ft off vertical (it was built to imperial measurements). The degree of lean can be appreciated in this comparison with the Custom House Square apartments J3474 : New building, Belfast (2) completed this year. J3474 : The leaning Albert Clock, Belfast (2) shows, for comparison, the view from the east.
The Albert Clock, Belfast
The Albert Clock, at Queen’s Square, opposite High Street, was designed by William J Barre as a memorial to Prince Albert. Completed in 1859, built on reclaimed land (known as “Belfast sleech”), it is said to be 113 ft tall and 14ft off vertical.
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- Grid Square
- J3474, 4402 images (more nearby
)
- Photographer
- Albert Bridge (find more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Sunday, 31 May, 2009 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Monday, 1 June, 2009
- Category
- Clock > Clock tower (more nearby)
- Subject Location
-
Irish:
J 343 745 [100m precision]
WGS84: 54:36.0579N 5:55.3476W - Camera Location
-
Irish:
J 341 744
- View Direction
- Northeast (about 45 degrees)
Image classification(about):
Supplemental image
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