Oxford Tourist attraction receives TLC

April 28, 2013 Heritage, News

Carfax Tower’s iconic chiming quarter boys and clock are in our clock works undergoing restoration. The figures are named “quarter boys” because they strike the chimes every 15 minutes, a spectacle which brings tourists to the tower in their scores.

Oxford City Council cultural development manager Ceri Gorton said:

47183372993f17a96222z

Carfax Tower is a much-loved tourist attraction and it is important for our cultural heritage to preserve these historic figures as well as all that comes with the tower. The quarter boys will be taken down and restored to their former glory. The end process will see a much improved Carfax Tower, which we hope the people of Oxford will continue to enjoy, along with the many tourists who visit the city each year.

The figures along with the bells, clock and clock hands are being restored. There will also be some stone cleaning and decoration works carried out at the tower.The quarter boys’ blue, scarlet and gold paint will be refreshed during the restoration work, the project is expected to be finished by the end of May.

City council senior building surveyor Jack Bradley said:

This is a really interesting project and I’m pleased to be involved in it. The quarter boys are a famous part of Oxford’s heritage and it is great that we are bringing them back to their former glory.

About the author

webadmin: