Old Joe is fixed and life is finally good again

It was announced today that Old Joe, the world’s largest freestanding clocktower, was fixed after over a year.

He bonged once again, as engineers fixed the mechanism, after not being able to during lockdown.

Cranes have been seen around Old Joe this week, with the immediate areas around it cordoned off for construction to complete the job.

Attaching the hands

In an Instagram story posted to the @unibirmingham page, an engineer explained that the mechanism was fixed from the inside, along with the hands removed to be cleaned and repainted.

With one hand reaching heights of 175cm and weighing almost 50kg, it is no surprise it has taken a few months to complete this.

Finally these pictures can be taken again!

Old Joe is the focal point of campus, which was built in 1908, and has allegedly served as inspiration for the Eye of Sauron in J.R.R Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings, and the clock tower in Monsters University.

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👉 If you head over to our Instagram Stories you'll see an update on @oldjoeclock – and a sneaky trip up the clocktower to see how the repairs have gone with his best friend from our Estates team James (@JamesTheGnome)https://t.co/HjIsdAT29k pic.twitter.com/vkWLYOyTpv

— Uni of Birmingham (@unibirmingham) October 7, 2021

However, as heard by verified sources, the clock is still chiming a minute early. Whether this will be fixed soon is a mystery and only time will tell.

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