Mary Reid

There is a rather splendid clock tower in Surbiton, at one end of Claremont Gardens, near Waitrose.

Today Prince Edward joined local children (and a few grey heads) to celebrate its centenary and restoration.

Why was Prince Edward asked?

Well the clock was commissioned to commemorate the coronation of his namesake and great great (have I got that right?) grandfather King Edward VII.

Now you may have spotted that King Edward was crowned in 1902. Apparently, after a competition for a suitable memorial, building work finally started in 1905, finishing in 1908.  Things were evidently slower in those days.

The clock tower is built using beautiful Bath stone, which doesn't weather too well, so when it was examined in 2006 it was clearly going to be a costly job to restore it.

Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee decide to take on the project, and set up the Friends of Surbiton Clock Tower.

The main funding has come from English Heritage, Heritage for London, Waitrose and the Royal Borough, but many local traders and organisations have got behind the project as well.

So today was a real community celebration, and here are some more photos.

Children from local schools sang 'My grandfather's clock' and danced

Prince Edward chatting with Cllr Frances Moseley (co-Chair of the Neighbourhood), watched by Bruce Mcdonald (Chief Executive of the Borough) and Edward Davey MP

The plaque, now unveiled