A new public clock is set to be installed in Burnham-On-Sea town centre in memory of a long-serving town councillor who died two years ago.
The late Neville Jones OBE, pictured, who served as a councillor for over 30 years, was a four-time Mayor of Burnham and Highbridge.
He has left a legacy of more than £3,000 in his will towards the purchase of a public clock for the town.
At a meeting of the Town Council’s Town Projects Committee this week, members were told that Cllr Jones had suggested in his will that the clock may be installed near to the water fountain in Old Station Approach, pictured below, which he helped to commission.
Councillors supported the idea of a new town centre clock in Burnham, and considered several designs and locations for it.
Cllrs Janet Keen and Peter Clayton said they would support a railway-themed platform clock in Old Station Approach, close to the fountain and where the old Burnham Railway Station was once sited.
Cllr Phil Harvey said that siting the clock on the South Esplanade could bring a nice feature to the seafront – possibly adopting “a sundial or 1920s-style mechanical design.”
Cllr Nick Tolley suggested that a “Victorian-themed arch at the top of the jetty, incorporating the clock, could be installed to make it visible from the car park, beach and in Pier Street.” He noted that it would have to be tall enough to allow lifeboats, the hovercraft and launch tractors to travel safely underneath.
Cllr Michael Clarke said that he liked the idea of a railway station themed clock – and welcomed news of the “kind legacy” from the late Cllr Jones.
The Town Clerk, Tatiana Cant, is to investigate the various options and costs in further detail.
