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ABSTRACT
The James W Benson 's historic clock of 1885, installed in the Hussainabad Clock Tower at Lucknow was reconstructed and the Tower repaired, through involvement of individuals from the City who were passionate about the technical and historical values associated with the Tower and the clock within. The process through which the project was carried out has been detailed, to enable the understanding of intricacies, thorough research and practical issues involved in such an exercise. Such initiatives highlight the strength that local communities can lend towards conserving their heritage.
INTRODUCTION
The Hussainabad Clock Tower is located in the old city of Lucknow, a little beyond the Bara Imambara and Rumi Darwaza and is a very visible landmark in the city. It abuts a pond and has a picture gallery and a historical structure called Satkhanda in its immediate vicinity. The Tower and the clock within are a marvel of architecture and engineering. The Tower is 67.4 metres tall, reportedly the highest open brick structure in India. Designed by a British architect, Richard Roskell Bayne in Moorish architecture, it houses the biggest clock in India with four dials each 5.5 metres in diameter. The four-dial faces are illuminated by oil lanterns and a unique system of reflectors. The clock tower also houses a massive gong to sound the hours and four big bells to sound the chimes. The mechanical clockwork was built by J W Benson, one of the leading British clock makers of the time. The Clock Tower was built between 1882-87 by the Hussainabad Endowment Fund to commemorate the arrival of Sir George Couper, the first Lieutenant Governor of the erstwhile United Province (pre- 1947 name for present day Urtar Pradesh), India. The clock has been out of operation since around 1984. An attempt was made to repair it in the early part of this decade, without success.
INITIATION OF THE PROJECT
In 2009, a technical team of three technicians from the Anglo Swiss Watch company, Calcutta examined the clock and opined that the clock cannot be repaired due to non availability of service support from the original manufacturers, as the company no longer exists. On this premise, it was decided to replace the original mechanical clock with an electronic clock.
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