Time Balls

[Janet Hunt]

I read an article online today in BBC News about the time-ball being fixed at Hull and now being operational again.

Hull's gold time ball to drop again after 100 years

The golden time ball on Hull's Guildhall was used to help ships set their navigation clocks.

www.bbc.co.uk

This piqued my curiosity as I had never heard of them. Found this site that told me more:

Time Balls of the World - The One o'clock Gun

1833 Greenwich Time Ball 1834 St Helena Time Ball 1846 Washington D.C Time Ball 1852 Nelson Monument Time Ball 1852 San Francisco Time Ball 1852 Electric Telegraph Office Time Ball 1855 Deal Time Ball 1858 Sydney Time Ball 1858 Glasgow Time Ball 1860 Cornhill Time Ball 1861 Pt Gellibrand Time...

www.1oclockgun.org.uk

 

[ChrisM]

I wonder if there was ever one in Birmingham? They must have had their uses, other than for shipping.

 

[Janet Hunt]

I wonder if there was ever one in Birmingham? They must have had their uses, other than for shipping.

I have searched but have not found one yet.

 

[pjmburns]

I have watched the one at Greenwich drop. Idea was they could be seen over a distance.

 

[mikejee]

I would have expected there once to have been one in Birmingham. There apparently was once one in Wolverhampton (https://www.blackcountryhistory.org/collections/getrecord/GB149_P_5076. A non-working one is still extant on what was once a jewellers in Leeds , as seen below. This is a listed building