Look, no hands: Sydney's GPO clock gets a makeover
It is Australia's largest mechanical clock and was considered so important that it was dismantled during WWII for fear Sydney's GPO timepiece could become a target for enemy aircraft.The problem with the GPO Building clock at the Fullerton Hotel at 1 Martin Place is that all is not as it seems. Inside that remarkable clock tower the hands have been turned by an electric motor since around 1989, not what the original manufacturer intended.
No more will that be the case as work began on the clock on Wednesday as part of a major refurbishment.Made by JB Joyce in the UK and installed in 1891, it is a three-train flatbed clock with gravity escapement and once the makeover is complete, Westminster chimes: four bells to the chime and another for the strike just like Big Ben.Credit:Remediation work will include removing, glazing, repairing and reinstating the clock glass.
Master clockmaker Andrew Markerink said the the work should be completed by October. "Essentially everything that is in the tower comes out of the tower," he said. "That job is not a headache, it is a nightmare. Several components come in at about 150-odd kilograms and there are several tonnes of clock to pull out of the building. There's only one way to do that and that's to carry it out down all the steps.
From 1891 until his retirement 40 years later, clockmaker Henry Daly would ring the GPO bells daily. To do this, he would watch the ball drop on Observatory Hill and listen for the gun fire from Fort Denison announcing it was 1pm. To reach the clock-tower chimes, Daly had to walk up 240 steps. The spiral staircase remains today and its maintenance will be part of the remediation works being conducted by The Fullerton Hotels and Resorts.
Cavaliere Giovanni Viterale, general manager of the Singapore-owned hotel chain, said they were the proud custodians of heritage. “[We] believe it’s imperative that significant historical buildings such as the GPO retain their heritage features."Once complete Mr Markerink said the clock will be as accurate as the GPS on a smartphone. It will also sound different.
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