2yrs ago I chaired judging panel 2 select a new timepiece for ⁦Network Rail⁩ Great 2 b London Bridge today as unveiled. A simple contemp design by designbridge. Swiss have best trad rail clock we now have best digital one! thanks to ⁦the Design Museum⁩ ⁦@RIBAComps⁩

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Ah, so you’re one of the people responsible for this. Well, with respect, I’m afraid it’s awful and a blight on the public realm. Unveiling *this* to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway is an insult, and a sign of decline and regression. We had better clocks 200 years ago.

@BMM1882 @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Each to their own . Love old railway clock but I'm not sure how a new one is a blight on public realm . As the former advisor to the government on public realm it's kinda my specialist subject - I would say large advertising screens discarded lime bikes are real blights .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Quite, but given (e.g.) some of the news of children not being able to read an analogue clock, do we need more digitisation of time? Given the state of the public realm (including the large ad screens and Lime bikes you mention), being a former adviser to govt on this probably…

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps …isn’t a flex, but I respect your experience, esp. as I am not a public realm expert. This clock is a symbol of dumbing down - both in terms of choice of analogue and simplicity of design/lack of beauty. People crave beauty; modernity often a luxury belief of the ‘expert’ class.

@BMM1882 @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Expert class ? That reek of Gove & MAGA - love an expert me . Wouldn't have a root canal without one ! Or to identify a particular railway engine as happened to me recently. It's a joy to learn . At end of the day it's just clock face in front of asking to be loved !

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Neither would I 🦷, but nothing wrong with saying ‘expert class’ - ‘experts’ are overwhelmingly middle-class and unrepresentative of wider society (doesn’t take away from their work/expertise of course). Design/public realm/architecture ‘experts’ often impose their ideas…

@BMM1882 @London Was born in a council house ( where my mum was born ) & the first in my family to go to uni. So don't fit your cliche . If u are anti education u scorn expert class . Knowledge is power - education for all ! I'm done dear Brian at the end of the day it's a clock not world peace.

@London Council house born and first gen undergrad, too. Big fan of education and social mobility (my area of expertise with many awards won for social mobility advocacy - we’re all a subject specialist at something!). I’m glad you’ve done well. Have a good one. 🕰️

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Why are the seconds denoted by odd symbols moving around the outside ? Why do they go in opposite directions sometimes? Why do I need to spend 3 minutes studying it's behaviour when I need to know the time in HH:MM:SS instantly as I have a train to catch?

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps 😂Odd symbol is the classic BR logo which joins up to complete at 12.00 . Don't leave it so late to catch your train - arrive early so you can just admire the clock ( and stock up on snacks too obvs !) .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps & liquor. Trains are like airports and Cardiff. Drinking is acceptable at any time of the day.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Tinned G&T and cheesy wotsits on the very slow Sunday SWR from West Country is a must for me

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps I like your style.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps 2 years 😂😂😂 come on.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps From design concept then contractual through development and testing to realisation (using new technology - it's the largest round digital screen that can be made ) 2 years is pretty good going !

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Fair play then 🥳👍

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps We, the public, are mocked to our faces with this utter horseshit. What, is that Helvetica for the numbers? There is nothing exciting about this.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Couldn't have a simple beautiful analogue face these days, as kids couldn't read it.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps And we have one already - the wonderful Swiss Railway clock . Hard to better that so better to do something that works with the networks digital format and screens .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Handy demonstration of how bland and tasteless the uk public realm has become. No wit or style, just a boring, pointless nothing.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Guess you prefer Roman numerals! There is wit as the arrows form the BR logo at 12 . I would advise two things . Ne supra crepidam and de gustibus non est disputandum . Nice cat btw .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Very much a branding agency’s understanding of what wit might mean, I can see why they won. Sorry but it really is dismal, even the cat could tell you that.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Each to their own - do leave your ivory tower and come and have a look at the real thing at least ( bring the cat ) guessing it has a Greek or Latin name.

@miserabiliter @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Not sure complementing his cat & suggesting he takes the time (!) to judge it in person is rude. Unless my Latin was rude by mistake. If you see it & then don't like it fine - each to your own. Hope you are calling out those that left me v horrible comments. It's just a clock 🙄

@DSprackling1 @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps To be clear I didn’t consider Sarah’s comments to be rude at all. And the cat was thrilled to be mentioned. Looking back, if anyone was rude it was probably me! My apologies, Sarah, if so.

@DSprackling1 @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Thanks Barnaby - likewise I never intended to be rude ( and please 🙏 tell which classical writer the cat is named after 😂?!) or am I going to be disappointed to find out they are called Bob/Roberta! .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Horrible piece of tat, such a shame that a traditional clock in the style of bygone days could not have been fitted.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Got plenty of those already . Each to their own .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps I love clocks. I love watches. I'm very much a horological person. But... ...this is the result of some over paid, over hyped, over sold, twenty something feeding the committee a load marketing bullshit & none of the committee or management having the spine to say so. Very poor.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Only took 2 years sums this country up that 2 years to get a clock

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps You're bragging that it took you 2 years to install a clock on a public transit system? This is why everything costs so much and is over budget. You could have solved this in half an hour with a trip to Target.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Your country is so retarded it can't use a normal watch face but needs a digital one. Pathetic.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Britain today, patting ourselves on the back over a giant digital watch. What have we become??

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps You people used to run the whole fuckin’ world! You owned the seas, invented the steam engine, for Christ’s sake! It’s a LED clock!

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Saw a still picture of it yesterday and liked the BR logo in the outer ring. Now seeing a video and realising its a minute hand just adds so much to a great design

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Nauseatingly shit, emblematic of everything spirit crushingly mediocre, graceless, twee and self-involved about the country at the present time

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Fucking hell, another one proud of this shite.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps They won't last 5 years

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps How much did they spend on a clock?

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Why the fuck does one of the arrows go backwards? I mean what the hell is this?

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps A very welcome addition it was always slightly annoying without a clock at London Bridge. You had to squint looking at the departure boards for any sign of the current time. 😆

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Aesthetically its great, but if I'm standing there staring at it as my train gets later and later due to lack of spending on track, signals etc because of a bunch of these being designed, bought and installed, I can see me hating it pretty quickly as a symbol of poor choices.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Saw it at London Bridge it’s truly wonderful and easy to read…

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps This is dogshit

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Peak wank

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Can’t the colour reflect the current timetable in station / green everything is on time

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps It's a clock not a monitoring system ( can you imagine how complex and expensive it would be to convey that info to it ?) plus I doubt it would ever be green !

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Would be even better if it had the seconds Aswell but this is good

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Well the logo does go round in a minute so it's a sort of second hand ...

@LemoncloudGT_YT @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps I’m not sure why people are getting hung up about a second hand - if you’ve left it that late for your train you’ve missed it

@sgaventa @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps correct :D, if i get the train, i make sure im there early

@simoncgray @networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps I love the shopping opportunities and need to get there in time to buy a nice tea and some cake for journey ( SWR has no trolley service for a 2-3.5 hr journey 😳) and I get too stressed being late.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps This is trash

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Are you not ashamed to show your face in public after this?

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps The fine product of the Guangdong novelty and digital railway clock company.

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Nice choice 👍

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps It's shite

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps i literally don't know if it's 11:59:15 or 11:59:45 (or none of these)

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Women were involved. That explains this trash

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps I want a watch version!

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Here it is ! Available to download in two weeks from Google .

@networkrail @London @DesignMuseum @RIBAComps Hurrah! Thank you!