Don’t count on it: Guildhall Time Ball stops working

PAUSED: The rare Time Ball on Hull’s Guildhall

EXCLUSIVE

By Angus Young

An historic timepiece on the clock tower of Hull’s Guildhall has stopped working just weeks after being switched back on for the first time in 100 years.

The Time Ball was recently restored after the city council secured a £281,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Originally designed as a navigational aid for ships arriving at the port, there are only a handful of its kind in the country. Following the restoration project, it was meant to rise and fall at 1pm each day.

However, a failure in the Time Ball’s mechanism put it out of action at the end of July.

It had been switched on in a ceremony led by the Lord Mayor of Hull Councillor Kalvin Neal in late June following nearly two years of restoration work, which included repairs to stonework on the clock tower itself.

In a statement, Garry Taylor, the council’s assistant director for major projects, said: “We are aware there is a fault with the Guildhall Time Ball and the internal mechanism. We are working with the contractor and a replacement part will be installed as soon as possible.

“We understand that this is disappointing for those wanting to see the Time Ball in action and apologise for any inconvenience.”