A town landmark is set for a spruce up as the council await news on lottery funding worth more than £100,000.

Gravesend Clock Tower has been in a shabby state for quite some time with missing stone work and graffiti scrawled across its base.

In the past Gravesham council has spent money to make the area around it more appealing, but the monument has remained untouched.

However, thanks to cash from the Heritage Lottery Fund and a grant from Kent County Council (KCC), the Messenger can exclusively reveal that the clock tower could get some tender loving care.

Along with the statue of Pocahontas just a short walk away at St George’s Church, the clock tower is one of the town’s most famous sights.

Council leader Cllr John Burden, said that work on the 125-year-old landmark could begin as early as next spring.

He said: “It’s been part of a programme that we’ve been looking at. We have done work to tidy up the area and have put in flowers and benches to make it look smarter and cleaner. We have a bid in with the lottery fund in order to finance much needed repairs to the stone as well as cleaning it.

“We’ve also got an individual budget and we’re hoping that by spring next year we can do some work and make it looker smarter and make the public proud of it again.

“It’s just getting all the funding sorted.”

Part of the funding from the bid will also be spent on a new lighting system which will change on a calendar basis.

The clock tower, for example, will be basked in red and green at Christmas, red and white during St George’s Day and green on St Patrick’s Day. The lights will illuminate the whole tower and council bosses hope the system will draw attention to the monument in a positive way.

A council spokeswoman said: “The tower has in the past been lit, with two spot lamps which are power hungry and difficult to access, one being mounted on a building not in our ownership.

“Both of the spot lamps have now failed but would have never provided the level of lighting which the building deserves.

“The clock faces, which are white and translucent, were once back-lit by gas lamps and have been subject to repairs over time. The faces no longer provide a uniform appearance and would also benefit from restoration and decent internal illumination.”

The clock tower was put up in 1889 to mark the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria and cost £1,097 in total to build.

Local historian Christoph Bull said it was a very important part of the town and also a unique monument in the county.

He said: “In my view the clock tower is the biggest and best in Kent, that I’m aware of. It’s one of Gravesend’s icons and the construction of it was the work of a generation of Victorian councillors who had a vision for the town.

“There were several of them but the most obvious was George Matthews Arnold. All of them were interested in making Harmer Street end with a nice permanent feature, which the clock tower is.

“Historically it’s been very important in terms of when monarchs have had coronations or if there’s been a huge official meeting of the good and the great.

“Suffragettes used to meet around the clock tower before the First World War and groups of people chucked things at them and gave them abuse.”