In pictures: First look at Edinburgh’s iconic London Road clock after its restoration

Since its removal in 2007, to make way for the tram system, the London Road clock has been a sorely-missed part of the Capital’s street furniture.

The beautiful pillar clock was last year taken to specialists Smiths of Derby – and now the final phase of the refurbishment is complete.

This included:

• Applying a top coat of black gloss paint to all of the decorative metalwork, to the pillar, clock drum and the base.

• Hand painting the new aluminium deer and the Coat of Arms of Edinburgh, which sits at the top of the clock.

• Hand painting, in gold, details such as the leaf motifs and ornate features.

• Restoring the clock dials and hands with new glazing and paint work. Internal brackets were fabricated for

the clock lighting and movements ahead of their install and install of the dials.

The London Road clock has had a rather interesting history.

It was cast at the Caledonian foundry in Leith and installed as a 5-lamp pillar column (no clock yet) on Waverley Bridge in 1857.

There it stood until 1896 when it was redesigned as a timepiece and re-sited at the West End outside Maule’s department store (later Binns).

Another move followed in 1955 to the roundabout at London Road, and there it remained until the tram works necessitated its removal.

This summer, the London Road clock is set to return as part of Trams to Newhaven project.

Edinburgh Trams says the £207 million extension is set to take the first passengers to and from Newhaven in spring 2023.

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