About Us: The Tower Clock

A special feature of the museum building is the tower clock, manufactured by John Smith and Sons of Derby, England.

The works are located in a room on the third floor of the building, just below the clock. The mechanism, gears and pulleys fit inside a cabinet one meter square in size. The pendulum, weighing approximately 4.5 kilograms, swings beneath the gear mechanism.

Located directly above this room are the 364-kilogram bell and the four faces, which are 1.2 meters in diameter.

An investigation by the Department of Public Works in the early 1970s found that the Humboldt clock was the only timepiece in Canada operating as it was originally designed, with weights and pulleys. Other clocks have been converted to electricity or replaced completely.