Other

Bracken House

Inscription

{Winston's face is at the centre of a golden sunburst. This is surrounded by gilded signs of the zodiac, on an azure background. Outside this are the names of the 12 months, then the 12 hours in Roman numerals and then the digits 5, 10, etc. up to 60. The day of the month is displayed in a window below Winston's face. There is another window to the upper right whose function is not clear. We believe the different rings of the clock rotate so that the clock is read by just looking at what is currently at the top, where noon normally is on a more mundane time-piece.}

According to the very interesting London Sundials this is "not a sundial but an unusual astronomical sundial related clock "
Designed by Frank Dobson and Philip Bentham in 1959.

Site: Bracken House (1 memorial)

EC4, Cannon Street, 10, Bracken House

Building designed by Sir Albert Richardson to house the Financial Times and the pink brick and sandstone was chosen accordingly.  From London Sundials : "This building (1955-1959) is named after Bernard Bracken, former chairman of the Financial Times, which was published here until the 1980s. The building was among the first post-war buildings in the City to be listed and its redevelopment retained the entire outside facade, including the elegant astronomical clock approximately 1 metre in diameter bearing at its centre a face of Winston Churchill, a personal friend of Bernard Bracken.  Bracken ran the Ministry of Information, supposedly the model Orwell used for his Ministry of Truth, and some say the initials of Big Brother are no coincidence.

The work of Philip Bentham in gilt metal and enamel, it has echoes of the formality and sophistication of a dial. Embellished with Roman numerals, it depicts months of the year, signs of the zodiac and a sunburst motif."

London Details has an excellent post about this building, its listing and its 1987 partial redevelopment.  And another one about Brendan Bracken.

2019: The FT returns to a newly renovated Bracken House.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the subjects commemorated on the memorial on this page:
Bracken House

Subjects commemorated i

Winston Churchill

Prime Minister 1940 - 45 and 1951 - 55. Born Blenheim Palace, near Woodstock,...

Read More

This section lists the subjects who helped to create/erect the memorial on this page:
Bracken House

Created by i

Frank Dobson

Sculptor. CBE, RA. Born at Queen Charlotte's Hospital, Marylebone Road, Londo...

Read More

Nearby Memorials

Evelina Children's Hospital at Guy's

Evelina Children's Hospital at Guy's

SE1, Great Maze Pond, Guy's Hospital - Memorial Park

Jonson seems to have had a special ability with elegies for children, not least his own two who died in the plague. Some information abou...

2 subjects commemorated, 5 creators
Sloane tomb

Sloane tomb

SW3, Cheyne Walk, 64, Chelsea Old Church

To the memory of Sir Hans Sloane, Bart. President of the Royal Society and of the College of Physicians who in the year of our lord 1753 ...

3 subjects commemorated, 2 creators
Tinworth pillar

Tinworth pillar

SE11, Kennington Park Road, Kennington Park

On a nearby information board: "Tinworth Fountain - This was once a large ornamental fountain that stood in a panelled garden close to to...

3 creators
Grimaldi's grave

Grimaldi's grave

N1, Rodney Street, Joseph Grimaldi Park

Londonist report that when this church was converted for office use Grimaldi's grave (the above ground part at least) was moved to this l...

1 subject commemorated, 1 creator
Margaret Damer Dawson - bird bath

Margaret Damer Dawson - bird bath

SW3, Chelsea Embankment, Chelsea Embankment Gardens

The birth date given here differs with that on the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: 12 June 1873. Wikipedia helps us identify th...

1 subject commemorated, 3 creators