One of the city centre’s most familiar faces is back on show, looking smarter than ever and working like clockwork.

At a cost of £15,000, the St George’s Clocktower has undergone a complete overhaul which has also enhanced its Victorian style.

The work has taken more than a year but this week the contractors were putting the clock back on view to shoppers, visitors and business people.

The clock was first installed in the old tower of St George the Martyr in 1836. But it stopped on June 1, 1942, when the building was damaged in an air raid.

Ten years later, the unstable church was demolished, apart from the tower.

In the past, minor repairs had been carried out but when the clock stopped working in 2008, a more detailed investigation revealed the inside workings were corroded, causing the clockface to bow outwards and the hands to be pinched.

Council spokesman Rob Davies said: “The clocktower is an important part of the city and we wanted to make sure the work was done right.”