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Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

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Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

Recommended by 43 hikers out of 44

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

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Tips

Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 27, 2024

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

Translated by Google •

Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 27, 2024

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.

Until 1928, the flower clock's design was based on geometric shapes, and the clock's numerals were clearly identified by a yellow-leafed plant. William Grant was appointed Head Gardener of Princes Street Gardens in 1928 and designed and supervised the clock's planting until his retirement in 1946. During World War II, the clock's motifs commemorated war events and victories.

In 1953, a cuckoo house was installed, featuring a life-size replica cuckoo that appears outside the house to chime every quarter hour.

The original 1903 clockwork that powered the floral clock was converted to electric operation in 1973.

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

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Jaro🇵🇱⛷️🛶🚴🏃‍♂️

December 27, 2024

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

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 60 m

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Friday 26 December

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Max wind speed: 7.0 km/h

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

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Floral Clock, West Princes Street Gardens

1. Royal Mile – Scott Monument loop from Brunswick

2. Arthur's Seat – Scott Monument loop from Meadowbank

3. Edinburgh Castle – Victoria Street, Edinburgh loop from Fountainbridge

Other Popular Places to Check Out

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