Timeless Icon Returns: Kolkata’s New Market Clock Tower to Chime Again After 7 Years

Seven years of quiet finally come to a close as Kolkata's New Market clock tower is finally to be restored and will soon regain its historic chimes, a major achievement in the city's heritage protection programme.

 

Key Points

 

Historic Revival: The clock tower of New Market, a Victorian Gothic monument constructed in 1874, has stayed at the same time since 2018 owing to neglect and damage, including severely battered by Cyclone Amphan in 2020.

 

Full Restoration: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has officially sanctioned full restoration, not just for the clock but for the whole tower building, after a thorough inspection that revealed extensive damage—collapsed floorboards, cracked walls, shattered glass dials, and overgrown vegetation.

 

Specialist Team: Restoration will be led by conservation architect Anjan Mitra and the renowned Dutta family, heritage clock specialists who have kept Kolkata's public clocks ticking for generations.

 

Special Mechanism: The four-faced weight-driven mechanical clock, one of only three in India, will be given a very meticulous restoration, including replacement of bushes, oiling, and replacement of glass, with the goal of restoring its Westminster chimes and hourly dongs.

 

Source: The Telegraph India, Times of India