Clock tower

It was during the meeting of February 17, 1841 that Mr. Bellot, mayor of Villeneuve, proposed the installation of a clock. Mr. Turrier, surveyor of the commune, drew up the plan and the estimate amounted to 3670 pounds. The reception of the works took place on May 08, 1842. It was necessary to add a supplement for the iron cage of the clock on the crown of the tower. It was during the construction of this bell tower that, for the first time, a cart was seen in Villeneuve "with immense wheels!" Everything was previously transported on the backs of men, mules or donkeys.
Around 1943, the clock was fitted with a second dial facing the Durance. In 1953, the Municipal Council decided to purchase a siren, which would be placed at the top of the tower to sound the alarm in case of fire. In the years that followed, it rang in the early morning to warn farmers of the risk of frost affecting fruit trees. This district has always held a privileged position; it was the center around which, over the centuries, the village developed concentrically, following the slope of the hill. Its clock marked the rhythm of the activities of its inhabitants for over a century. The lighting of the tower's crown was redone in December 2005.