While the Noon Day Gun – which has been fired across the city since 1806! – is an almost unavoidable way to learn what time it is in Cape Town, there’s a new/old time-keeping attraction that’s just been rebooted in the V&A Waterfront.
After falling into disrepair, the Time Ball Tower was formally reopened on Thursday (13 November) after an extensive renovation and refitting led by engineers and heritage architects.
But wait, I hear you ask... a Time What Tower?
Before GPS and radio signals came along to make navigation at sea easier than ever, navigators on sailing ships – like those that made Cape Town such a thriving port – would need to use a chronometer (aka clock) to tell the time. Once they had the accurate time, they could use a sextant, calculation tables and some fancy mathematics to work out their longitude. That is, how far east or west they had sailed.
But after some, well, time, clocks would lose time. And while a stopped clock may still be right twice a day, that doesn’t help you out in the Indian Ocean when you’re trying to find Australia.
So, while in port, the ship’s officer would reset their clocks to ensure accurate navigation at sea. And how did they do that? Well, using a Time Ball Tower!
What's a Time Ball Tower?
Invented by the Royal Navy officer Captain Robert Wauchope, the first was installed in Portsmouth, England, in 1829. And the concept is simple. A large ball (usually red and white for easy spotting) is raised to the top of a pole easily visible to ships. At a specific time each day – in the case of Cape Town, 1pm – the ball was dropped.
“This allowed navigators on ships in Table Bay to accurately reset their chronometers to correctly calculate longitude at sea and ensure safe navigation,” explains Steven Bentley, V&A Waterfront Harbour Master.
Cape Town’s Time Ball Tower was one of the first in the world and was built at the Royal Observatory (in today’s suburb of Observatory) in 1836. When the suburbs grew so much that they obscured the view, it was moved to the harbour precinct. Today’s Time Ball Tower was built in 1894 alongside the Harbour Engineer’s residence, which is today the Dock House Boutique Hotel. It kept time for ships in harbour for some 40 years before the advent of radio made it obsolete.
But the story didn’t end there. After a restoration in 1997, a century after it was built, the Tower was again neglected and forgotten. Until today, that is, when the V&A Waterfront unveiled a fantastic renovation of the tower and a reboot of the time-keeping tradition in tribute to the city’s rich maritime history.
“By preserving our maritime heritage, we symbolise Cape Town’s longstanding role as a global maritime hub and the V&A Waterfront’s continued function as one of the world’s oldest working harbours. We are proud that the Time Ball Tower will add depth to our city’s tourism and cultural offering by bringing this important piece of history back to life,” said David Green, V&A Waterfront CEO.
Preserving Cape Town's living history
The overhaul was sparked by a conversation between Green and Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, who also drove the restoration of the 120-year-old City Hall clock.
Perhaps unlike the clock, the Time Ball Tower is a piece of living history that can be admired up close by all visitors to the V&A. For free, too! From now on, this revived landmark will operate as it originally did back when Table Bay was filled with barques and schooners, rather than booze-cruises and superyachts.
For now, the Time Ball Tower – which is set alongside the Dock House Boutique Hotel, above the Ulundi parking garage – will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. The ball is manually cranked to the top of the mast at 12.55pm, with the ball dropping at the stroke of 1pm. Trust me. You can set your watch by it.
Need travel inspo? Try the 45 Best things to do in Cape Town!