Old Clock Tower Lighthouse in Colombo (කොලඹ පැරණි ඔරලෝසු කණු ප්‍රදීපාගාරය)

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Old Lighthouse in Colombo — Creative Commons photo by Dennis S. Hurd

The Colombo Old Lighthouse, now functioning solely as a clock tower, stands as a historic monument at the junction of Chatham Street and Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Queens Road) in Colombo Fort. Although its lighthouse function is no longer operational, the tower continues to keep time even today.

The site has a long maritime history, having served as a lighthouse station as far back as 1829. The tower itself was first constructed as a clock tower in 1857, notably two years before London’s Big Ben. While Big Ben celebrated its centenary on May 31, 1959, the Chatham Street clock tower marked its 100th anniversary on February 25, 1957. The design was undertaken by Lady Ward in collaboration with Governor Henry Ward, and the construction was executed by J. F. Churchill of the Public Works Department (Paranavitana, 2022).

A tablet inside the tower arch confirms that construction was completed on February 25, 1857, and it was handed over to the citizens of Colombo the following month. The clock itself had been imported decades earlier, in 1814, but found a permanent home in the tower in 1857. After 50 years of service, the clock mechanism was replaced in 1907 with a more reliable machine (Paranavitana, 2022).

The tower began its dual role as a lighthouse in 1867, equipped with oil lamps. This was later enhanced with dioptric flashlights in 1885, and in 1897, the oil lamps were replaced with gas lamps. At its peak, the lighthouse’s brightest beam reached across the Indian Ocean for approximately 16 miles, magnified by intricately patterned tiled glass. In 1932, the dioptric flashlight was replaced with a 1,500-candlepower electric bulb.

The lighthouse function was ultimately decommissioned in 1952 when nearby buildings obscured the light, and a new lighthouse was built at Galbokka Point, Colombo.

References

Paranavitana, K., 2022. The Big Ben of Colombo – the Chatham Street clock tower. [online] Sundaytimes.lk. Available at: <https://www.sundaytimes.lk/060625/plus/plus13.0.html> [Accessed 31 May 2022].

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References

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Map of Old Clock Tower Lighthouse in Colombo

Travel Directions to Old Clock Tower Lighthouse in Colombo

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