Edinburgh unveils floral clock for 2025 celebrating 200 years of braille
The floral clock, made with over 35,000 plants, took six weeks to complete and blooms until October
Edinburgh's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge has officially unveiled this year's floral clock in West Princes Street Gardens. The colourful timepiece is a vibrant tribute marking 200 years of braille and celebrating the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
The iconic clock, crafted with over 35,000 flowers and plants, took three gardeners six weeks to complete. Featuring species such as antennaria, crassula, echeveria, sedum, saxifrage, and annuals like pyrethrum, begonias and geraniums, the colourful display will bloom until October.
Joined by RNIB representatives and visually impaired community members, Mr Aldridge expressed hope that the design would inspire reflection on the vital role braille plays in the lives of those who use it.
The capital's Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: "Seeing the floral clock take shape is a wonderful annual tradition and this year doesn't disappoint, with a beautiful display in honour of a worthwhile cause.
"The RNIB provides essential support to blind and visually impaired people, and in 2025 they mark a real milestone with the 200th anniversary of braille. I hope the clock's design will give people pause to reflect on just how important braille is to all those to use it.
"Thanks to the hard-working parks team who have spent the past six weeks creating the clock, which will be enjoyed by many thousands of people throughout summer."
The RNIB, the UK's leading charity for sight loss, supports blind and partially sighted individuals along with their families and carers.
This year, it marks the bicentenary of braille, the tactile six-dot code that revolutionised literacy and communication for people with sight loss.
James Adams, director of RNIB Scotland, described it as a great honour for the organisation to be featured.
'It marks the 200th anniversary of the invention of braille which opened up opportunity for blind and partially sighted people to be able to access the written word, and with that came the liberation of being able to also receive information that is taken for granted by wider society,' he said.
'Braille is a system that endures, and continues to transform the lives of blind and partially sighted people, offering them privacy, independence, and opportunity.'
"Therefore, we are delighted to have Braille200 so prominently marked in the heart of Edinburgh and give everyone the opportunity to celebrate braille and include accessibility in their lives."
The floral clock has a rich heritage, first created in 1903 by Edinburgh Parks superintendent John McHattie, making it the oldest of its kind in the world.
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Initially featuring just an hour hand, a minute hand was added in 1904, followed by a cuckoo clock in 1952. It was mechanically operated and wound daily until 1972.
Since 1946, the clock's designs have honoured numerous organisations and figures, including the Girl Guides Association, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Queen Elizabeth II for her Golden Jubilee.
In its centenary year, 2003, it won a gold medal at the Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show.
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