Wednesday December 10th 2025
Tollcross, Edinburgh
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
A clock that was pulled from an Edinburgh street over three years ago should be fixed and returned to its place, according to a local councillor.
The council removed the clock from the Tollcross crossroads in March 2022, after an inspection revealed a small crack in its base.
Before taking it down, the council got a quote of just under £60,000 to carry out a refurbishment of the clock with the aim of restoring it.
Since then, the refurbishment works have been delayed, and the clock itself has been mothballed, with the council saying it would be included in future junction works.
SNP councillor Finlay McFarlane, who represents the area, wants to see the clock put back in sooner.
In a motion to next week’s full Edinburgh Council meeting, he asks council officers to present a report to the city’s culture committee exploring options to reinstate the clock.
Cllr McFarlane writes that the council should agree “further delay is unacceptable”, echoing calls from the Tollcross community council.
He adds relocating it from its old position in the middle of the junction to a new site in front of the Bank of Scotland building.
However, he notes such a move could require listed building consent and planning permission in order to take place.
The clock was in Tollcross junction from 1901 onwards, with photos from the Edwardian era featuring it at what was once a busy tram hub.
It was originally a pendulum clock, but was converted in 1926 to a spring-driven mechanism – and again in 1969 to electrical operation.
Edinburgh Council pulled it from its site in 1974 as part of works to change the junction, but it was put back in place near to its original location after sharp public backlash.
Cllr McFarlane’s motion identifies the city’s Common Good fund as a source of money for the refurbishment and reinstatement works.
Earlier this year, funds from it were earmarked for restoring the Portobello Town Hall clock to its former location, after being down for more than 20 years.
Councillors will consider the motion at the next full Edinburgh Council meeting, set to take place on Thursday, December 18, which you can view here.
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