Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

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Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

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Location: New Town/Broughton, Edinburgh, Lothian, Scotland, United Kingdom

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December 27, 2024

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The Edinburgh Flower Clock was inspired by the 1902 carpet exhibition in West Princes Street Garden, commemorating the coronation of Edward VII. The following year, John McHattie, then Superintendent of City Parks, and Edinburgh clockmakers James Ritchie and Son created the floral clock by installing the clock mechanism at the base of the Allan Ramsay monument.

edinburghguide.com/venues/visitor-attractions/floral-clock

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Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 27, 2024

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Early designs for the clock were created by John McHattie, advised by James Mossman, a direct descendant of Mary Stuart's court jeweler. The first clock began ticking on June 10, 1903, with only an hour hand. A minute hand was added in 1904.

In 1905, a mechanism based on organ pipes and bellows, which played the sound of a cuckoo, was installed in a box next to the flower clock to keep time. The early mechanism did not include a cuckoo house or a full-size model of the bird.

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Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 27, 2024

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Each year, a new display is planted in West Princes Street Gardens, reflecting a current theme. In 2012, the clock celebrated the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and in 2022, her Platinum Jubilee. In 1994, the clock was inspired by the centenary of Robert Louis Stevenson's life; in 1974, the clock commemorated the 100th anniversary of West Princes Street Garden; and in 2023, the clock celebrates the centenary of the Flying Scotsman.

edinburghguide.com/venues/visitor-attractions/floral-clock

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