St. Giles, High Street, Edinburgh. 1904.
A rare picture of the clock on St Giles "Cathedral2 on The Royal Mile.
The first clock on the spire was installed 1552 but had fallen into disrepair. In 1585 it was replaced by one which came from the Abbey Church of Lindores in Fife at the cost £55. It had two faces with ‘twa hands’. It was built to strike the hours, relieving the bellman of that duty. The clock was set from the time shown on a sundial erected on the south wall of the Church
In 1721 the clock mechanism was replaced by one from a London firm of clockmakers, much to the annoyance of the Edinburgh clockmakers. This clock was repaired and the minute hand inserted in 1797 by the Edinburgh Clockmaker Thomas Reid.
In 1912, the firm of James Ritchie and son, installed a non-dial chiming clock which functions to this day. This clock has no faces for it was felt that the faces destroyed the appearance of the steeple. The hours and quarters are struck on the three bells still in the steeple – the great bell, originally cast in 1460 strikes the hours, and two small bells dating from 1706 and 1728 strike the quarters. The old clock was given to the Museum of Edinburgh, where its mechanism can still be seen.
