Why is Canada obsessed with clocks?

January 1, 2022 | Author : Julien Laporte

For as long as I can remember, Canada has been my home. Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been travelling from province to province taking photographs for a long time now. When I was going through my images one day, I noticed a lot of clocktowers in the background. A strange fact is that you probably don’t need a watch if you reside in Canada, because every city has a clocktower and clock stands at city intersections. Are they just decorations, or are they symbolic? Today, we are tackling why there are so many clocks in Canada.

When most people think of clock towers, they think of Big Ben, the magnificent, chiming clock at London’s Palace of Westminster, or the clock atop Moscow’s Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower. A landmark so adored that many Russians once believed it had the power to protect the Kremlin from enemy assault.

Although clock towers are still praised for their aesthetics, their original purpose has been largely lost in a world when time is at everyone’s fingertips. Most individuals did not own watches before the twentieth century, and even home clocks were uncommon until the 18th century. The early tower clocks did not have faces, instead relying exclusively on bells or chimes to summon the community to work or prayer. They were erected in towers so that the bells could be heard from afar. As these towers grew in popularity, designers recognized that adding a dial to the façade would allow residents to check the time at any time.

Clock towers have long been used as symbolic monuments of authority and organisation. Clock towers on administrative buildings, “Represented the dignity and power of the local administration,” according to Rhodri Windsor-Liscombe, professor emeritus in the department of art history, visual art, and theory at the University of British Columbia. They “Intended to reassure everyone that things were proceeding in a controlled and orderly manner.”

Ottawa Peace Tower

The Peace Tower in Ottawa will celebrate its 95th anniversary on July 1, 2022. This 91-meter-high neo-gothic building was the crowning achievement of architect John Andrew Pearson’s renovation of the Parliament Building. A covered doorway connects the Peace Tower to the Centre Block, which is a freestanding bell tower. It is home to a 53-bell carillon memorial to the sacrifice and devotion of Canadians during World War One. The Memorial Chamber is located inside the Peace Tower and is dedicated to those who have given their lives in the service of Canada. Clock towers may be found all throughout the world, with some of them serving as iconic structures. The Elizabeth Tower in London, also known as “Big Ben,” is one such example.

Montreal Clock Tower

The Montréal Clock Tower is a powerful emblem of the Port of Montréal’s significance in Canadian transportation history. Montréal handled more grain exports than any other port in the world at the time the tower was erected, and it ranked second in North America in terms of total cargo. The Clock Tower is also associated with the port’s significant contribution to Montréal’s economic development. The tower honours the Merchant Marine seamen who died in the First World War for their bravery.

Halifax Town Clock

The Halifax Town Clock, also known as the Old Town Clock or the Citadel Clock Tower, is one of the most identifiable monuments in Halifax’s historic downtown. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is credited with coming up with the concept for a clock for the British Army and Royal Navy garrison at Halifax, and arranging for one to be made before his return to England in 1800. Prince Edward, then commander-in-chief of all armed forces in British North America, is believed to have wanted to address the local garrison’s tardiness.

Toronto Clock Tower

The Toronto Clock post is still a popular architectural feature. Hill’s firm created the award-winning Vaughan City Hall, a modern civic structure with a 130-foot clock tower that was completed in 2011. These towers are part of Canada’s rich architectural heritage, which dates back to the mid-nineteenth century and is carried on now. They’re not just about telling the time. The function of a clock tower has changed over time. We keep things for their power to orient us in a different way, rather than for their functioning.” Previously considered merely timekeepers, towers like the Romanesque restoration edifice at Old City Hall have evolved into beacons that may be used to locate oneself as well as emblems of civic tradition. “It informs us in a lovely way that we’re a part of a larger flow of time than the one we carry in our pockets.”

Vancouver Steam Clock

The Vancouver Steam Clock in Gastown, Vancouver, is powered by steam from the city’s downtown centralized heating system, which drives a piston inside a miniature steam engine inside the clock. Built in 1977, the steam clock was created in an effort to attract more people to Gastown.

It whistles and shoots steam at the top of every hour and announces quarter hours with the Westminster Quarters; a common clock chime melody that’s also used by London’s “Big Ben”.

If you go back far enough in Canadian history, you’ll find that the country was colonized by European settlements. In that case, Canada is merely an extension of European beliefs and values, similar to a child adopting the characteristics of its parents. That is to say, a better inquiry is: Why is England obsessed with clocks?

London’s Big Ben

Big Ben is arguably the most famous clock in the world. One of the most Instagrammed sites in the planet, that unique silhouette is instantly recognized. The original tower was constructed between 1288 and 1290, during King Edward’s reign. It had a bell and a clock and was placed on the north side of New Palace Yard. On the hour, the bell, first named ‘Great Edward’ and afterwards renamed ‘Great Tom,’ rang out. 

In 1367, a second tower was built to replace the first. This was England’s first public chiming clock. In 1834, a devastating fire destroyed the majority of the Palace of Westminster along with the tower. Architects were invited to submit plans for the new Palace.

In September 1843, work on the 3rd Clock Tower began. This is the famous tower that still stands at the Houses of Parliament today.

But why was the Clock Tower built in the first place? Big Ben is a bell that was cast rather than built. And it was made to chime the course for the clock at the top of the Palace of Westminster’s Clock Tower. It was part of a standard Victorian endeavour to show off Britain’s engineering skill while also providing people with accurate timekeeping. Clock towers were the most accurate means to maintain track of appropriate time for the population during that era because timekeeping was difficult.

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