THE London Road clock has returned to Edinburgh after being restored.
The historic timepiece began life on Waverley Bridge in 1857, before being moved to the West End in 1896, and finally reaching the roundabout on London Road in 1955.
It was removed in 2007 as part of the original tram works, which had aimed to link the airport to Newhaven via the city centre.
The part of the line running from the city centre to Newhaven was scrapped due to the project’s spiralling costs, despite having already caused disruption down Leith Walk with roadworks.
Now, the line is finally being completed, and the clock has been moved back into place on Elm Row.
It was restored by specialist clockmaker Smith of Derby, with a new deer cast in aluminium to repair the timepiece’s coat of arms.
City archaeologist John Lawson said: “It has been fascinating to work with Smith of Derby in restoring this iconic clock back to its original condition and with a new striking paint scheme reflecting what we believe to be close to its original Victorian look.
“The process has proved more complex than first thought.
“What was thought to be a simple iron casting in four parts has been revealed by Smith’s conservation work to be a more intricate design, with individual detailed castings added separately to the main column.”
Read more stories on Scottish Field’s news pages.
Plus, don’t miss our heritage feature about author Alistair MacLean in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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