St Albans civic clock tower

The town clock tower in St Albans, Hertfordshire, UK. The tower was built in 1403 and from its inception contained a mechanical clock – then very rare and expensive. The tower was used for the curfew bell and to watch for fires and marauding armies (several of which did turn up in the 15^th century), it was also intended as a monument of civic pride to put the abbot of the powerful abbey in the town on notice.