Merewether Clock Tower

Merewether Clock Tower
میری ویدر ٹاور‬
General information
Type Memorial
Architectural style Gothic Revival
Location Saddar Town
Town or city Karachi
Country Pakistan
Named for Sir William Lockyer Merewether
Construction started 1884
Opened 1892
Height 102 m (335 ft)[1]
Technical details
Floor area 44 m (144 ft)
Design and construction
Structural engineer James Strachan

Merewether Clock Tower or Merewether Tower (Urdu: میری ویدر ٹاور‬‎)[2] is located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.[3]

Memorial

It was raised by public subscription as a memorial for Sir William L. Merewether,[2] who served as Commissioner of Sindh from 1867 to 1877.[4]

Construction

Designed by James Strachan, the Municipal Engineer, the foundation stone was laid by the Governor of Bombay, Sir James Fergusson in 1884.[2] It was constructed in 1886 and is now located at the intersection of M.A. Jinnah Road and I.I. Chundrigar Road.[5] It was formally opened to the public in 1892 by the Commissioner in Sind, Sir Evan James.[2]

Description

The Tower stands on a base of 44 feet square and rises to a height of 102 feet.[2] Strachan designed the tower in the Gothic Revival style popular in Victorian England, to evoke the architecture of Medieval England (11th to 15th century A.D.). The structure is built in buff-colored Gizri stone and shows a heightened sensitivity to detailing and emphasis on carving and decoration. The architecture takes the form of an Eleanor cross. Eleanor crosses were a series of 12 monuments erected in England by King Edward I between 1291 and 1294, in memory of his wife, Eleanor of Castile. Three of the original Eleanor Crosses still exist in England.[6] The Star of David is also visible on its exterior.[5] Many similar neo-Gothic style structures were built in Victorian England, and impressive clock towers are found all over Pakistan.[7]

References

  1. ↑ https://pakistaniat.com/2009/01/05/architecture-merewether-tower-karachi/
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 J.W. Smyth (1919). Gazetteer of the Province of Sind. B Vol 1 Karachi District. Bombay: Government Central Press. Reprinted by Pakistan Herald Publications Ltd, Karachi Pg 62
  3. ↑ Nadir Siddiqui, Shameen Khan (2 March 2014). "Karachi Time Machine". DAWN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  4. ↑ Behram Sohrab H.J. Rustomji, Karachi 1839-1947 A Short History of the Foundation and Growth of Karachi, in Karachi During the British Era Two Histories of a Modern City, Oxford University Press, Karachi, 2007. Pg 104
  5. 1 2 Adil, Mamun M. (April 10, 2015). "Revisiting Kurachee..." DAWN. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  6. ↑ http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/The-Eleanor-Crosses/
  7. ↑ Owais Mughal, "Clock Towers of Pakistan", All Things Pakistan (Feb 24 2008.

Coordinates: 24°50.936′N 66°59.845′E / 24.848933°N 66.997417°E / 24.848933; 66.997417

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