Merewether Clock Tower

Coordinates: 24°50.936′N 66°59.845′E / 24.848933°N 66.997417°E / 24.848933; 66.997417
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Merewether Clock Tower
میری ویدر ٹاور
Gothic Revival
LocationSerai Quarter
Town or cityKarachi
CountryPakistan
Named forSir William Lockyer Merewether
Construction started1884
Opened1892
Height102 ft (31 m)[1]
Technical details
Floor area44 m (144 ft)
Design and construction
Structural engineerJames Strachan

Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower (

Kiamari,[4] and marked the dividing line between Karachi's Old Town and its newer European quarters to the east.[5] It currently is the westernmost point of the Serai Quarter.[6]

History

Merewether Tower was raised by public subscription as a

Evan James,[2] at a total cost of 37,178 rupees.[8][9]

Architecture

Strachan designed the tower in the

Gothic Revival style popular in Victorian England, to evoke the architecture of Medieval England (11th to 15th century CE). The architecture takes the form of an Eleanor cross
.

The clocktower stands on a base of 44 feet square and rises to a height of 102 feet.[2] 4 clocks are situated at a height of 70 feet on each facade, with a bell that weighs 300 pounds that strikes on the hour.[10] Smaller bells weighing 100 pounds strike on the quarter-hour.[10]

It is made of local Gizri sandstone, and Star of David is also visible on its exterior.[8] The tower is decorated with delicate stonework,[11] which was carved by stonemasons of the Silawat community,[12] who are also known as Gazdars.

Significance

The tower used to mark the southern extent of the city when arriving from the port in

Kiamari along Napier Mole Road.[4] It also serves as a marker of the dividing line between the Old Town from the new European Serai Quarters.[5] It is also located at the termini of two major thoroughfares: Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road and I. I. Chundrigar Road, and is a major bus-stop.[10]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Database Error". 5 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e J.W. Smyth (1919). Gazetteer of the Province of Sind. Vol. B Vol 1 Karachi District. Bombay: Government Central Press. Reprinted by Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd, Karachi Pg 62
  3. ^ Nadir Siddiqui, Shameen Khan (2 March 2014). "Karachi Time Machine". DAWN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b Siddiqui, Ahmed Husain (1996). Karachi: The Pearl of Arabian Sea. Mohammad Husain Academy.
  5. ^
    ISBN 978-0-19-577806-9
    .
  6. ^ "SERAI QUARTER FEBURARY [sic] 2008". antiquities.sindhculture.gov.pk. Retrieved 2020-04-13.
  7. ^ Behram Sohrab H.J. Rustomji, Karachi 1839-1947 A Short History of the Foundation and Growth of Karachi, in Karachi During the British Era Two Histories of a Modern City, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2007. Pg 104
  8. ^ a b Adil, Mamun M. (April 10, 2015). "Revisiting Kurachee..." DAWN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  9. ISBN 9789695290057
    .
  10. ^
    doi:10.4038/besl.v13i1.7667
  11. ISBN 978-0-19-577735-2
    .
  12. ^ "Built to last — Karachi's stonemasons leave their mark". Arab News PK. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2020-04-12.

24°50.936′N 66°59.845′E / 24.848933°N 66.997417°E / 24.848933; 66.997417

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merewether Clock Tower, Karachi.
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