The red-brick Clock Tower at the south end of the Lumley Road shopping street is the unofficial centre of the town and the most popular meeting point on the seafront. Built in 1899 to mark Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee — a couple of years late — it has been the place generations of holidaymakers have arranged to find each other when they get separated on the beach.
The tower is a working clock, lit at night, and stands at the head of the Tower Esplanade gardens running down to the sea. It is a useful landmark when walking around the centre: most of the amusement arcades, fish and chip shops, and the central beach access points sit within five minutes of it. Climb is not possible.