Albert Memorial Clock

The Albert Memorial Clock stands at Queen's Square at the edge of the Cathedral Quarter, a 34-metre Victorian Gothic tower with a clock at the top. It leans noticeably — Belfast's answer to the Tower of Pisa, though considerably less famous. The lean is most visible from the south, looking straight up the face of the tower.

The clock marks one end of the heritage trail through the Cathedral Quarter and is a useful orientation point. The area around it has been regenerated into a pleasant waterfront square, and the view down Donegall Quay toward the Titanic Quarter gives a sense of how the city has changed since the shipyard closed.

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The Albert Memorial Clock was completed in 1869 and named for Queen Victoria's recently deceased consort. Within a few years of its completion, the foundation began to sink on one side — Belfast's city centre is built on reclaimed land from the River Lagan, and the ground shifts. The clock tower leans about 1.25 metres from the vertical. Engineers have reinforced the foundation to prevent further movement, but the lean remains.

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