Time Ball

The time ball will be set up on the Nelson Monument on Tuesday June 30th. The tricky operation of re-positioning the mast and ball on top of the tower will be cancelled if the wind force proves too strong.

The site manager Calum Duke of Forth Stone took the Association’s secretary up on to the tower roof last Thursday to show him how the work was progressing. Calum is a mine of information on the project as he has a great interest in the city’s architectural history. Calum’s son Nick is also part of the six-man squad working on the restoration of the tower. Inside the monument the lifting mechanism column has been set in place complete with brand new gear wheels. The precision work was carried out by Ritchie’s who are now based at Broxburn, West Lothian.

The firm which was involved in setting up the time ball in the 1850’s is celebrating the anniversary of it’s founding this year. An operator from the firm will continue to wind up and drop the ball maintaining a tradition which has lasted 150 years.

The time ball was refurbished at the workshops of Charles Laing & Sons, Beaverbank Place, Edinburgh.The photograph supplied by the firm shows the structure of the ball. The covering will be painted black just as it was when it was originally set up on the Nelson Monument to signal the time to ships lying in the Firth of Forth.