A city centre siren which went off daily at lunchtime for more than 150 years has sounded for the final time.
The 13:00 time signal at HL Brown jewellers and watchmakers, on the corner of Barker’s Pool and Leopold Street in Sheffield, has been a daily tradition since 1874.
It was originally created by the founder of the company, Harris Brown, to show off that he was up to speed with new technologies of the time. The signal was received from Greenwich and allowed people to set their watches and clocks by it.
Loupe Jewellers, who took over the business in June, said: “After careful consideration the building’s iconic one o’clock siren was carefully removed and gifted to HL Brown.”
Speaking in 2024, James Frampton, the then managing director of HL Brown, admitted the “loud and unsettling” sound of the siren was “a bit of a shock” for people who were not previously aware of it.
Frampton speculated at the time that if the siren was ever to be removed from the site there would be an “outcry”.
“People like a tradition,” he said.
“We like to be quirky and different and it’s become part of the folklore.”
