The JWW Birch Memorial Clock Tower is perhaps one of the oldest public clock tower in Ipoh. It was erected in the first decade of the 20th century, to the memory of the First British Resident in Perak who was killed at Pasir Salak by Malay warriors in November 1875. The assassination launched the Perak War of 1876 that spanned almost the entire Perak River from Pasir Salak to Kuala Kangsar.

The clock tower was erected by the eighth Perak British Resident, EW Birch. He was the older Birch's son.

There was a marble plaque and a bust of JWW Birch on the East face, a spot that is now empty since the 1990s.

The four mural panels depict the advance of man from prehistoric times to the beginning of the twentieth century. In these four panels, you may notice that all the women depicted are seated. Some of those people portrayed are instantly recognisable. The seated statues at each corner depicts the four virtues of life.

The associated historical sites linked to this tower would be the Pasir Salak memorial site down stream of the Perak River which includes the graves of JWW Birch, his close friend Captain Innes and several other graves of individuals killed in the Perak War. Upstream in Kuala Kangsar, there is another cemetery that contains the graves of other individuals killed in this local war, with another obelisk memorial there.