Funding approved for restoration of historic Edinburgh clock

An Edwardian clock removed from a junction in Edinburgh is set to be restored after council funding was approved.

The vintage iron timepiece, which dates from 1901, was mothballed in 2022 after an inspection found cracks at its base in the middle of Tollcross Crossroads.

Delays to works on the roadway have left the clock in storage for four years.

But City of Edinburgh Council's finance and resource committee has now agreed to allocate £72,572 for its refurbishment – with hopes it could return to the area next year.

It is likely the clock, designed by Edinburgh clockmaker James Ritchie & Son, will not return to its previous position, but will be relocated close by.

The clock was removed once before, in 1974, but was quickly returned following a public backlash.

Funding for the restoration will be taken from the council's common good fund.

Councillor Finlay McFarlane, who initially raised the issue at a full council meeting in December last year, said the local authority would work with conservation and heritage bodies to find the most appropriate new location for the clock.

That will be taken forward by the council's culture committee.

Work could get under way as early as next month, the meeting heard.

The clock was originally set to a pendulum, but was converted in 1926 to a spring driven mechanism.

Another conversion, in 1969, meant it became electric, allowing for the time to be kept correct without human intervention.

Finance convener, councillor Mandy Watt, said: "This clock has been part of Edinburgh's story for more than 120 years, and the community has been clear that it belongs back where people can see and enjoy it.

"We'll work closely with residents to find the right location, and I'm delighted that we're finally able to give this project the momentum it deserves."

Reporting by local democracy reporter Joe Sullivan