23/09/2026
The Corpus Clock, famously mounted on the exterior of the Taylor Library at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, is widely considered one of the world's most unusual and unsettling public monuments.
Unveiled by legendary physicist Stephen Hawking in 2008, the £1 million timepiece was designed and funded by inventor Dr. John C. Taylor. It serves as a stark, mechanical reminder of mortality and the relentless passage of time.
The Chronophage: The name of the giant, insect-like creature means "time-eater" in Greek. While it looks like a nightmarish grasshopper or locust, it is actually a massive, functioning version of a grasshopper escapement—a 1700s mechanical clockwork innovation by John Harrison.
The Rippling Face: The 1.5-meter dial is a disc of stainless steel plated in 24-carat gold. Its radiating ripples were created via precise explosions in a vacuum, a design intended to represent the Big Bang and the origin of time itself.No Hands or Numbers: Time is kept using three concentric rings of blue LED lights visible through narrow slits in the metal face, indicating hours, minutes, and seconds.
The clock is engineered to play tricks with human perception. It deliberately runs up to 90% slow or 10% fast, with the lights lagging or racing ahead. It only strikes perfect, synchronized accuracy once every five minutes.The "Chime": When the hour strikes, you will not hear traditional bells. Instead, the clock emits the ominous sound of rustling chains and a hammer striking a wooden coffin.Latin Inscription:
Directly beneath the clock sits the inscription mundus transit et concupiscentia eius, translating from the Vulgate to: "the world passeth away, and the lust thereof".
You can view the monument for free at street level on the corner of Bene't Street and Trumpington Street in central Cambridge.
Are you planning a trip to Cambridge to see it in person, Either way it is a mere 5 mins walk away from LH, a great central place to stay