Royal Clock facts for kids
The Royal Clock is a special clock located on the upper floor of the southern part of the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia. Neil Glasser designed it, and a company called Thwaites & Reed from England built it. When the clock comes to life, it shows cool scenes about English kings and queens. A sign on the clock says it was made for Queen Elizabeth II by the clockmakers Thwaites & Reed Ltd.
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How the Royal Clock Works
The Royal Clock puts on a show every hour, from 9 AM until 9 PM. Each show starts with trumpet music. Tiny trumpeters pop out from the top of the clock's four towers. They go back inside when the music finishes.
What You See During the Show
You can see six different scenes through windows on both sides of the clock. These windows face the walkways. Each scene lights up for a short time to show a mini-model, called a diorama, of English royal history. Then, the light dims, and the scene slowly turns to the left for the next one. Most of these scenes have moving parts. For example, one scene shows the final moments of King Charles I.
Music of the Royal Clock
The music that plays during the Royal Clock's show is called The Prince of Denmark's March. It was written by Jeremiah Clarke. Many people know this song as the Trumpet Voluntary.
Amazing Historical Scenes
The Royal Clock features six detailed scenes from English history. They are shown in order from oldest to most recent:
- King Cnut trying to stop the tide. This story shows he knew he couldn't control nature.
- King Harold during the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This battle changed England's history.
- King John signing the Magna Carta in 1215. This important document limited the king's power. Stephen Langton is also in this scene.
- Henry VIII and his six wives. This scene shows the famous king and the many marriages he had.
- Queen Elizabeth I honoring Francis Drake. This scene shows her knighting Sir Francis Drake in 1588. While a fun story, the actual knighting was done by someone else, but the Queen was there.
- The final moments of King Charles I of England in 1649. This scene shows a very important event in English history.
Who Made the Scenes?
Four heralds appear at the top of the clock to announce the start of the show. Each of the detailed 3D scenes inside the clock was made by Marcus Replicas. This company from Leicestershire, England, was known for making lifelike figures and historical scenes.
Dennis Morton, a co-owner and chief designer, created the ideas for each scene. He and Elizabeth Sharp, an artist who specialized in horses, spent over three years making the figures. Each figure was first sculpted in clay. Then, it was cast in resin and carefully hand-painted. After the figures were ready, they were put together into their historical settings. Elizabeth also painted a background for each scene to make it feel like the right time period. Once finished, the scenes were sent to Thwaites and Reed to be put into the clock and made to move.
