'Stuck' clock honours town's old time zone
BBCA clock honouring a town's old time zone has been unveiled at a shopping centre.
The Stroud Time clock at the Five Valleys Shopping Centre is fixed at 12:09, in reference to the fact Stroud was once nine minutes behind Greenwich Mean Time.
The Stroud time zone was retired in the Victorian era following the arrival of trains and an Act of Parliament to ensure the UK was under one time zone.
"We're always a little bit different and us being slightly out by nine minutes makes perfect sense," said Tony Davey, mayor of Stroud.
Mr Davey said he hoped the clock would spark "good conversations" among residents.
"It just helps remind us that our culture here is really important and it's formed what we are as a town today," he said.
Missed trains
Up until and during the 19th Century, time was measured based on the position of the sun. Stroud lies 90 miles from Greenwich, so was nine minutes behind.
When trains arrived in the mid-19th Century, the railways operated on London time.
"Anyone who came to catch a train missed it because they were nine minutes too late," said Marion Hearfield, who is a trustee at Museum in the Park.
To combat the confusion, the government introduced The Statutes (Definition of Time) Act 1880, which enforced the adoption of Greenwich Mean Time throughout Great Britain.
Museum in the Park is home to the original Stroud Time clock, made by jeweller Robert Bragg.
"Mr Bragg decided to solve this problem by putting a clock up that was labelled 'Stroud Time, town time," explained Ms Hearfield.
Amanda Holmes, communication and engagement lead for Dransfield Properties, which owns the Five Valleys Shopping Centre, said the "Stroud Noon" installation in was really important to help people understand local history.
"We love the quirkiness of Stroud, it is a quirky town and we discovered this fantastic story about Stroud Time and found this beautiful clock," Ms Holmes said.
"We thought, let's build that story and create a bit of interest about Stroud Time here at the centre."
Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.