Old Colombo Lighthouse or Colombo Fort Clock Tower is a
clock tower
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another build ...
and was a
lighthouse in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
. The lighthouse is no longer operational, but the tower remains and functions as a
clock tower
Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another build ...
. It is located at the junction of Chatham Street and Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Queens Road) in
Colombo fort.
History
The tower was constructed as a clock tower in 1856-57 and completed on the 25 February 1857.
The tower was designed by Emily Elizabeth Ward, the wife of
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Sir Henry George Ward (1797 – 1860).
The construction was undertaken by the Public Works Department, under the supervision of Mr John Flemming Churchill (Director General of Public Works). The tower was the tallest structure in Colombo at that time. The original clock was commissioned for £1,200 in 1814 by the then Governor
Sir Robert Brownrigg
General Sir Robert Brownrigg, 1st Baronet, GCB (8 February 1758 – 27 April 1833) was an Irish-born British statesman and soldier. He brought the last part of Sri Lanka under British rule.
Early career
Brownrigg was commissioned as an en ...
(1759 – 1833) but was kept in a warehouse, due to economic reasons, until 1857 when it was finally installed.
The lighthouse was deactivated after its light became obscured by nearby buildings and was decommissioned on 12 July 1952.
The modern Galle Buck Lighthouse was erected on Marine Drive as its replacement.
Features
The original Colombo lighthouse was located on a