Known as Little Ben, the Clocktower on Fisherton Street is more than a monument and meeting point for residents and visitors to the city, it also depicts a love story that has spanned the test of time.
The Clocktower was funded by Dr John Roberts and was built in the 1890s.
The monument was to provide a lasting legacy for his first wife Arabella who had died that year. She was the daughter of Robert Hahnan Kelham Esq, of Bleasly Hall, Notts.
Dr Roberts told the city council that if they could find a location, he would pay for it.
Author and history enthusiast, Frogg Moody said: "This was a big love affair, he was very much in love with Arabella and just wanted a lasting memory of her and a plaque dedicated to Arabella is still in place on the clock tower to this day."
Although from Wales, Dr Roberts qualified as a doctor of medicine in 1845 and joined the medical team at the Salisbury Infirmary in 1854.
In the 1870s, he built up a private practice in the city. His address in 1875 was recorded as The Close Gate, High Street.
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After several unsuccessful suggestions for a location for the Clocktower by the council members, Dr Roberts put forward the suggestion for the clock tower to be built on the site of the Old Gaol as there was a ready-made plinth for it.
The Infirmary governors agreed to sell 800 square feet of land for £5 and the location for the monument was accepted and went ahead.
It is thought that there were delays with the project and some complaints were made. Rumours began to circulate at that time that the money had run out.
Read more: From highwaymen to drownings, read the secrets of the Old Gaol
Frogg said: "I got permission from Salisbury City Council to go up there. It's precarious. There are three ladders which are lashed very tightly to the wall.
"Once up at the top, the four clock faces are impressive but you would not believe how small the mechanism is, it is miniscule."
The company Smith of Derby installed the illuminated clock mechanism and remained responsible for its maintenance continuing to oil the mechanism annually. In December 1970, the gravity mechanism was replaced for a modern movement and the original mechanism was sold to an individual in the United States.
Frogg added: "I think if Dr John Robert were to come back and walk up Fisherton Street he would be quite impressed at Christmas time when the clock is lit up. He would think that was a really nice touch and that people still cared about his clocktower."
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