Flinders Street Station’s tower clock is once again keeping Melbourne’s busy CBD on time after undergoing its first restoration in over one hundred years.
The tower clock, the largest in Victoria, was made by Melbourne clockmaker F. Zeigler in 1907. It once used to serve as the master clock for the entire Victorian railway system, with telegraph signals transmitting the correct time out to hundreds of stations.
“The clock is a beautiful piece of Victorian engineering and a tribute to the craftsmen who made it and have diligently cared for it ever since,” state transport minister Jacinta Allan said.
Work began on the clock in the middle of last year and involved the restoration of the four glass faces, the servicing of internal mechanisms, and the installation of new safety ladders and a new cable system, with the latter providing greater strength and resilience to the entire clock structure.
The clock’s refurbishment forms one part of the $100 million refurbishment of Flinders Street Station. The exterior of the administration building has been restored to return it to its original 1910 colour. The roof has also been waterproofed and the whole building stabilised to help prevent deterioration into the future.
“Flinders Street is the heart of our train system and an icon for our city – we’re restoring it and protecting it for the future,” Allan said.
Other works completed include improvements to platform lighting and updates to the toilets on the main concourse and at the Elizabeth Street Subway.
The Flinders Street Station works will continue through to the middle of the year, while construction of new entrance to Platform 10 is expected to be finished by April.