THESE two pictures of Alexandra Gardens in Weymouth show its popularity in bygone days.

The picture below shows a temporary visitor to the gardens in 1953 - the 'Guinness Clock'. This clock originally featured at the 'Festival of Britain' two years before.

It was a great crowd-puller and one of the more spectacular entertainments laid on for the holidaymakers.

Standing 25 feet high, the clock's internal mechanism was highly elaborate and included nine reversible electric motors and three synchronous clocks.

The 'Guinness Clock' at Alexandra Gardens in 1953 The 'Guinness Clock' at Alexandra Gardens in 1953

No clock of comparable complexity had been made in England for 300 years.

Every quarter of an hour it would burst into action with characters appearing and moving, the triangular vanes at the top opening and spinning and doors opening at the lower front to reveal the Guinness Toucan.

The 'Guinness animals' were the creation of artist John Gilroy of S.H.Benson's advertising agency.

The menagerie included a sealion (balancing a glass of Guinness on its nose), an ostrich (who had just swallowed a glass of Guinness whole), a pelican, bear, lion, tortoise, kangaroo, crocodile and even an upside-down kinkajou. The most famous of all, however, was the Guinness toucan who retained the public's affection from his debut in 1935 right up to his final retirement in 1982. Guinness also made use of characters from Lewis Carroll's book 'Alice in Wonderland' in its advertising in the 1930s-50s. We might think it unheard of now to use characters from a children's book to advertise beer, but at the time it was quite acceptable. This explains why the Mad Hatter, with his fishing rod, appears on the Guinness Festival Clock, along with the zoo keeper, toucans and other Guinness animals.

The Guinness Festival Clock was designed by the partnership of Lewitt-Him.

The clocks toured seaside towns for seven years or more and also made appearances at trade fairs, carnivals, agricultural shows and in department stores. One went to the USA on loan for two years, and two went to Ireland.

Much of the glass at Alexandra Gardens was removed in the late 1930s Much of the glass at Alexandra Gardens was removed in the late 1930s The picture above shows the Alexandra Gardens Theatre. Much of the glass was removed in the late 1930s.

It was one of the major entertainment centres during the summer season for almost 40 years, and many well known personalities have appeared on its stage.