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Seen here from the Beetham Tower, the 217 foot high tower was added to the Refuge Assurance building in 1910–1912. The Grade II listed building, at the corner of Oxford Street and Whitworth Street was originally designed and built 1891–1895 for the Refuge Assurance Company, becoming one of Manchester’s most famous buildings. The clock tower stands a staggering 217 feet high and has a four-face clock at the top; the hands on the clock are almost 8 feet in length and weigh 60lbs Link (Archive Link ) . Not surprisingly the clock tower became an icon of Manchester’s skyline.

The building remained occupied by The Refuge Assurance Company until 1987. It was converted to a hotel in 1996, and is now the Palace Hotel so should perhaps now be called the “Palace Tower”.

Link (Archive Link ) Palace Hotel website