Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower

Good Old Joe, what can I say. A well-​known and wonderful clock tower he is indeed. Everyone in and around Birmingham should really know about Old Joe, because he is so prominent and is actually taller than London’s Big Ben! It may symbolise the University of Birmingham’s location, but Old Joe has his time-​telling uses and is really rather impressive to look at. As a former student at the University of Birmingham it has been said that if you walk underneath the tower on the hour, then you will fail your degree — or something to that effect, so beware of the time if you decide to walk through! If you want to experience the friendlier side of Old Joe though, you can find him on twitter, where he will keep you updated on the goings on of the Edgbaston campus. Overall, he is an awesome clock tower and he is not easily forgotton.

I have to talk about Old Joe (as it’s commonly known) on here, as Old Joe was the reason I came to Birmingham in the first place. Having looked round various universities in the UK, I was rather taken by the fact that Birmingham University had a rather splendid red brick clock tower. Obviously ummm I maybe should have been thinking about other things like «Is the course here good? Who are the teaching staff? How much are the course fees?» rather than «Oooh, pretty buildings» which was essentially what I based my decision on. Hey ho, it all worked out OK in the end.
You can see Old Joe from where I’m currently living in Stirchley, and, in fact, from many parts of South Birmingham, which makes it a familiar and popular landmark. There are plenty of weird & wonderful urban myths about Old Joe, such as if you walk underneath it as it chimes then you’ll die, or fail your degree or something. Occasionally, University students get it into their heads to do various things for charity involving Old Joe, such as abseiling down/​climbing up its tall brick walls. And the Physics Department are constantly throwing things off Old Joe ummm for fun. (I’m sure that actually they are conducting serious science experiments…)
Suffice to say that Old Joe is a much-​loved, integral part of Birmingham University life, not to mention an equally loved, integral part of Birmingham’s wider cultural landscape.

You don’t have to be a student at Birmingham uni to appreciate the majesty of dear Old Joe. You can get a great view of it on the train from New Street heading towards Bromsgrove. It dominates the skyline, as if it is giving the middle finger to all of those airy-​fairy «dreaming spires» that the Oxbridge lot love to go on about.
This noble clock tower has stood proudly in front of the equally grand domes of the Aston Webb building since 1908. It was built to honour the university’s first chancellor — Joseph Chamberlain. It is based on the tower of Siena Town Hall in Italy and was designed by Aston Webb (he of V&A fame) and Ingress Bell.
It is 99.06 metres high and has an arch at the base that you can walk through — though many a superstitious student will refuse to do so. Apparently, it is the «largest free standing clock tower in the world».
Students have a real sentimental attachment to Old Joe and I can kind of see why. It also serves the practical purpose of telling the time and making sure folk get to lectures on time.
The tower is generally not open to the public, but appointments can sometimes be made.