Town Clock, Halifax

The Town Clock, also known as the Old Town Clock or the Citadel Clock Tower, is one of Halifax’s most recognizable landmarks, perched on the eastern slope of Citadel Hill overlooking Brunswick Street. This historic clock tower, a reconstruction of an early 19th-century Palladian-style structure, remains a symbol of the city’s military past and architectural heritage.

The idea for the Town Clock was conceived by Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who served as the commander-in-chief of British North America’s military forces. Concerned about punctuality within the British Army and Royal Navy garrison in Halifax, he commissioned a turret clock before his return to England in 1800. The clock was manufactured by the prestigious House of Vulliamy, a renowned London-based firm of Royal Clockmakers.

The Town Clock officially began keeping time for Halifax’s garrison on October 20, 1803 and continues to function with its original mechanism—an intricate system of three weights, gears, and a 13-foot pendulum housed in a cast-iron frame. The bell chimes every quarter-hour and hour, maintaining the discipline of timekeeping established over two centuries ago.

The clock tower is a three-tiered octagonal structure, sitting atop a one-story rectangular white clapboard base that adheres to Palladian proportions. The building’s symmetrical design features classic elements such as a round-plan colonnade, supporting the octagonal clock level, which in turn gives way to an arcaded upper story, crowned with a copper dome, balustrade, and a decorative copper ball.

The clock face, set on all four sides, features Roman numerals, with “4” traditionally written as “IIII” rather than “IV” for aesthetic balance. The clock’s slow-moving mechanism has contributed to its longevity, requiring twice-weekly manual winding by employees of Citadel Hill National Historic Site, under the care of Parks Canada.

A Halifax icon, the Town Clock has appeared in various artworks, literature, and television, including the children’s show Theodore Tugboat, where it was personified as Chimey. As a historic timekeeper, it continues to bridge Halifax’s past and present, standing as a testament to its craftsmanship and enduring legacy.