The Clock Tower
The clock tower was built at the same time as the extension to the Pump-House in 1910. The clock was actually an after thought as the tower was originally built to allow the hydraulic accumulator to rise. It is noted in a Belfast Harbour Comissioners meeting minutes from the time that when the hydraulic accumulator was being designed they had thought of locating the cylinder underground. However they were advised that this would make the contract more complicated and so they concluded a tower interrupting the roof line would be acceptable. The first design of the tower had an open structure on top of a four sided pitched roof however in larger scale drawings this embelishment had been removed and the roof had become a pitched lead covered construction. The cladding was orginally designed to be 13” deep timber baulks however as constructed this was reduced to a more economical 5” deep.
A report from the Newletter dated Wednesday 5th October 1910 had the headline ‘New public clock for Belfast docks’. It was decided to add a clock to the tower as Harland & Wolff had grown so much and there was so much building activity going on that workers could not see any other clock in the city. It was noted that the new tower commanded an inunterrupted view of Belfast Lough. The south, east & west faces of the clock helped the workforce in the shipyard to keep time and the west face of the clock tower onto the River Lagan was advantageous for outgoing and incoming mariners.
The clock was ordered from Sharman D. Neill who were absorbed into who we now know as Lunn’s the Jewellers in the 1960’s. Now 60 years later, a working clock once again marks the passage of time for those at Titanic’s Dock & Pump-House at Northern Ireland Science Park. The new clock has been made by Smith of Derby and work undertaken by Patton Construction of Ballymoney. The Clock Tower was officially unveiled on Friday16th May 2008 by the First Minister of Northern Ireland The Rt Hon Rev Dr Ian R K Paisley MP MLA.
NISP Chairman, Mr Franklin Adair and First Minister of Northern Ireland The Rt Hon Rev Dr Ian R K Paisley MP MLA, holding the plaque to commemorate the re-opening of the Clock Tower.