281.THE BIRCH CLOCK TOWER, IPOH

The Birch Memorial Clock Tower named after J.W.W Birch, the infamous first British Resident of Perak was unveiled in 1909. The square tower has a clock on each face. The clock tower has one mother bell, 6 ft 6 in diameter weighing 1,000 pounds and four smaller bells weighing together 1,000 pounds and was designed to strike the chimes of Big Ben.

At every quarter of an hour, the clocks chime beautifully like music to passers by and patrons to the food court next to the tower. For several years the clocks were silenced until there were repaired recently.

The clock tower is historical and an important landmark. It is strategically located in front of the Sultan Idris Shah state mosque and can be considered as a tourist attraction. The small park surrounding the clock tower with its green grass too is well maintained.

Maybe if the Ipoh City Council care to rehabilitate the Food Court including relocating the temporary stalls near the greenery surrounding the clock tower, then the whole area can be turn into an R & R facility for city folks to have a rest.

After all, the building next to the area that used to house the old post office is now being refurbished and rehabilitated.

What a beautiful sight the whole area would be, coupled with the recently upgraded mosque, the famed Ipoh Railway Station building, the Court buildings and the Ipoh Padang in the vicinity. It would just looks stunning!