Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Where has Little Ben in Victoria gone?

Found out some info on the origins of the Seychelles version:
The clock tower was made by a firm in Croydon, England, that Messrs. Gillet & Johnston, which had gained good reputation for specialising in making, on commission, that particular kind of clock tower in three different sizes. These were known as "Little Big Bens" because of their obvious similarity to the clock tower of the House of Parliament in London. The clock tower made of cast iron arrived dismantled in nine cases by mail steamer. On February 11, 1903, seven cases arrived, the other two having been mistakenly carried to Mauritius! These arrived on the March 11, 1902 and encountered further mishap. While being transferred from steamer to lighter, one of the "movement weights" with a mass of 60 lbs was dropped overboard. A young blacksmith by the name of Mr Vaudin who was superintendent of public works made an ingenious replacement at the cost of SR15.81. The sum of SR1,200.00 was spent on the foundation work, which took 17 days and was carried out by six workers, four Seychellois and two Indians workers. It is pertinent to note here that during the first decade of the 20th century dozens of immigrants workers from Madras, India were recruited, their physical faculties being put to use in manual labour. The erection of the clock tower took nine days to complete. Winches and pulleys were used to lift up, assemble and connect the various parts. The last rivet of the clock tower was driven on the March 27, 1903. A commemorative plate and wrought iron gate were made at the cost of £300.00 and oil lamps were fixed on the four sides. The clock tower was originally black which made it look more like a giant grandfather's clock made of oak. In the 1940s the Victoria City Council decided that it should be painted with a lustrous silver and its been painted that colour ever since. In the 1960s its four lamps were replaced with new ones which were attached to the structure itself.
 
www.gillettjohnston.co.uk has been making and installing clocks, bells and carilons all over the world since 1844 and are very proud of our clock installations. The Little Ben clock towers are very popular as memorials in Public Parks, Squares etc. There are lots more all over the world but closer to home examples are located in Blakers Park in Brighton and by the station in Brighton Town.
We would love to be involved in any work that is to carried out on the Little Ben clock tower at Victoria as we are a London based company.
 
Gosh, how on earth did it come about that the clock maker was reading this thread? :)

Disappointed to hear that the Victoria clock is not with the company, though. I wonder where it is? I looked last night, and couldn't see the base, even...
 
I would if I were a long-established firm that made things that were built to last. I bet there are people who post things on t'interweb like
I have inherited a lovely but battered Gillet & Johnston clock. Does anyone know anything about how I'd go about getting it cleaned and restoring it?
 
Although they claim to be in Croydon, their address is in Bletchingley, which is not actually in Croydon. I think that is a shame, because they are not as local as I thought they were, but I am also amused that someone would claim to be in Croydon when they are not. It's more often the other way round, as people claim to be in Surrey when they are, in fact, in the London Borough of Croydon! :)
 
All, who were curious to know when the little ben will come back, I am happy to announce that Little Ben is now back. It was totally refurbished with new paint and decoration and reinstalled at Little Ben Island on 28th February 2016.
Good to know, not least because I no longer walk past this every day, so missed its return :)
 
Back
Top Bottom