Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Cacio e pepe lasagna combines two classics.
C'è Pasta... E Pasta!
Spaghetto taratatà is named for the sound of rattling sabers.
Giano Restaurant
The gnocchi here get blanketed in a sugo with braised oxtail.
Cesare al Pellegrino
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Bristol Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock

Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock

The unusual clock on this 18th-century market building has an extra minute hand for "Bristol time."

Bristol, England

Added By
Alan Newman
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Dual-time clock at the Bristol Exchange   Rick Crowley / CC BY-SA 2.0
Clock at the Bristol Exchange   Rodw / Public Domain
Corn Exchange   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Bristol Exchange   Stephen Richards / CC BY-SA 2.0
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Even if you look past its remarkable 18th-century architecture, the facade of the Corn Exchange building in Bristol, England has something worth noticing. If you're fascinated by time-keeping and its history, it might even be the main attraction.

The old market building’s clock, installed originally in 1822, has two minute hands, just over 10 minutes apart, in order to show both Greenwich Mean Time and Bristol local time. 

This dual time-keeping became necessary with the proliferation of railways. Trains started to conform schedules nationwide, and England had to adopt a standardized railway time, something that had never been attempted before.

Many resisted Greenwich Mean Time, preferring to hold onto the hour their town had all agreed upon for centuries. The city of Bristol only officially adopted the standard time on 14 September 1852, five years after it was established. For those five years, when it was noon in Bristol, it was 12:10 p.m. by the railway clock. Accordingly, the two hands on the Bristol Exchange clock displayed times exactly 10 minutes apart. To this day, the clock has the GMT minute hand in red and the local one in black.

Related Tags

Clocks Time Architectural Oddities History Railroads Architecture

Know Before You Go

The clock is above the entrance of the Corn Exchange on Corn Street, between Exchange Avenue and All Saints Lane

The grand hall of the Corn Exchange and the attached market are home to an eclectic array of stalls 

.

Community Contributors

Added By

Dr Alan P Newman

Edited By

jooniur, Jaszmina Szendrey, Ike Allen, rbenn250...

  • jooniur
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • Ike Allen
  • rbenn250
  • Xavixavir

Published

August 10, 2017

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Exchange,_Bristol
  • https://www.exchangebristol.com/events/2017-08-04-88-fingers-louie-exchange
  • http://bristololdcity.co.uk/where-to-go/nails
  • https://www.about-bristol.co.uk/eye-03.asp
Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock
Corn St
Bristol, England
United Kingdom
51.454525, -2.593611
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Nails

Bristol, England

miles away

Victoria Font

Bristol, England

miles away

The Guild of Ancient Merchant Taylors

Bristol, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bristol

Bristol

England

Places 32
Stories 5

Nearby Places

The Nails

Bristol, England

miles away

Victoria Font

Bristol, England

miles away

The Guild of Ancient Merchant Taylors

Bristol, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bristol

Bristol

England

Places 32
Stories 5

Related Places

  • The Augenroller.

    Koblenz, Germany

    Augenroller (Eye Roller)

    Every half hour the eye-rolling clock face sticks out its tongue to mock the good citizens of Koblenz.

  • The Quarter Boys and their message.

    East Sussex, England

    The Quarter Boys

    Two gilded cherubs perched on a church bell tower have been reminding visitors of the finitude of life since 1760.

  • Clock Cottage.

    Derbyshire, England

    Clock Cottage

    A gardener saved a beloved clock face from destruction by building it into a wall outside his house.

  • Hereford, England

    Black and White House Museum

    This iconic Tudor home-turned-museum offers a unique glimpse into the everyday life of a prosperous family during the early modern period.

  • Haus zum Goldenen Ochsen oriel window

    Schaffhausen, Switzerland

    Haus zum Goldenen Ochsen (House of the Golden Ox) Oriel

    Explore the five senses depicted on this protruding Gothic window.

  • Milwaukee, Wisconsin

    Allen-Bradley Clock Tower

    This was once the largest four-sided clock in the world (yes, even bigger than Big Ben).

  • Peavey–Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator

    St. Louis Park, Minnesota

    Peavey-Haglin Experimental Concrete Grain Elevator

    This unassuimng grain elevator, commonly confused for a smokestack, helped inspire the modern architecture movement.

  • A colorful apartment building behind green trees shown at an angle.

    Berlin, Germany

    Unité d'Habitation of Berlin

    After local authorities changed the design, the building's architect, Le Corbusier, wanted nothing to do with it.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.