The Clock Tower is one of the features of Hogwarts Castle. There are many gears and bells inside that run the tower. There is an old courtyard at its base, and at the top is the clear glass dial of the clock. There is space at the top for a person to either work on the clock or to stand and look out over the courtyard. The Clock Towers bells chime on the hour and at the start and end of lessons.
Description
The gears that run the Clock Tower.
The Tower doesn't begin at the Ground Floor level. Because it's placed on top of a hill, the Tower begins at the Third Floor level. When you enter the Tower, there's a large Hall with flights of wooden stairs at the right and left side and the pendulum of the Clock Tower can be seen as well. The first landing is at the Fourth Floor level. It's at this landing that are the clock's gears and face. A long corridor with an entrance to the Hospital wing is at this landing. This same corridor connects the Tower to the remaining castle. If you go up another flight of wooden stairs, you will get to another landing, this time at the Fifth Floor level. It's in this landing that are the clock's bells; some massive gold and copper bells and the beginning of the pendulum. There is another corridor at this landing; like the other, it links the Tower to the main castle.
History
1993-1994 School Year
During the 1993-1994 School Year, the Clock Tower Courtyard was where students waiting to visit the village of Hogsmeade would gather.
Battle of Hogwarts
During the Battle of Hogwarts, the Clock Tower was heavily damaged, especially in the left side of it, by Death Eaters: much of the clock face was shattered, and one of its bells somehow ended up at the Entrance Courtyard. However, the bell could have also come from the Bell Towers.
Behind the scenes
- The Clock Tower first appeared in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and is never mentioned in the books. This may be intended to highlight the theme of Time, which plays a central role in the film, and also to foreshadow Harry and Hermione's use of Hermione's Time-Turner at the film's climax to travel back in time in order to rescue Sirius Black and Buckbeak.
- In the books it is said that there are bells to signal the beginning and end of classes, so probably there was a Clock Tower at Hogwarts in the books.
- The design of the clock appears to be based on the Old Town Clock (also called the "Orloj" - pronounced "OR-LOY") in Prague, Czech Republic. The Orloj tells not only the time, but shows the month, the sign of the Zodiac, and shows the relative positions of the moon and sun.
- The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban only shows the third and fourth-floor landings of the Tower. The film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire gives us a glimpse of the fifth-floor landing. All subsequent films only show the outside building of the Tower. In the video game version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we are only shown the outside of the Tower, inside being the Entrance Hall, and in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince all the Tower is shown, including all the landings and the exterior.
- In the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire onwards, when students are shown in the Clock Tower courtyard or down the hill from the Clock Tower, we never see the Clock's pendulum swinging in the background as it does in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- In the film adaption of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a giant swinging pendulum can be seen behind Dolores Umbridge as she stands at the far end of the Great Hall during the Charms O.W.L.. This is similar to what was shown in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
- In the video game of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, you get the mission to sabotage the Clock Tower so Dolores Umbridge cannot plan her lessons.
- In the scene were Harry and the Gryffindors run out of the Clock Tower with Harry's new Firebolt in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban they do not come down from the wooden staircase, but from the inner part of the Clock Tower Entrance. This may be an error on the filmmaker's part, but it is also possible they could have used one of the shortcuts seen in the video game version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the video game version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
- In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Clock Tower's clock face falls due to Death Eaters.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Seen in cutscenes.)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7