Sound On: Cape Town's 120-Year-Old City Hall Clock Fully Restored!

Time Out

3 days ago

Whether you're sipping an early morning coffee on Darling Street, stepping out of the Golden Acre at midday, or catching the golden light across the Grand Parade in front of the City Hall at sunset, you'll hear a sound that's more than a century old - and impossible to ignore.
After nearly a decade and a half of silence, the iconic City Hall clock is not only ticking but striking once again - revived in all its Westminster-style glory.
Installed in 1905 by legendary British clockmakers JB Joyce & Co. (yes, the same company behind Big Ben), the tower clock has been restored to its original splendour thanks to a meticulous six-month project led by the City of Cape Town, local engineer Marius Schoeman and self-taught horologist Alexios Vicatos.
@timeoutcapetown The City Hall clock and bell chime is ticking in perfect time following its restorations which kicked off 6 months ago. We had an exclusive look at the clock chimes and tower that is a core part of the city's heritage. #TimeOutCapeTown #capetown #tiktokcapetown #visitcapetown #capetownsouthafrica #capetowntravel #timeoutexclusive ♬ original sound - Time Out Cape Town
The project brought a wave of nostalgia for many, including Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis's grandmother in law, who grew up in Woodstock and remembered shopping in town on Saturdays, the clock's bells echoing in the background.
'She got glassy-eyed when I told her it would ring again,' he shared at the ceremony marking the completion of the project on Thursday.
Indicating this isn't just a technical triumph - it's the restoration of a soundscape, a memory, a cultural heartbeat. The chimes mark time, yes, but they also mark place. They root us in the present while calling up the past: market mornings on the Parade, marches and concerts on the square, weddings and protests and the ordinary rhythm of daily life in the Mother City.
It is a living piece of heritage.
The clock has been returned to its original manual winding system, meaning it now needs to be wound three times a week, just like it was 120 years ago. It chimes every 15 minutes, with four quarter bells and a larger hour bell, and features a fully restored silencing mechanism to accommodate performances in the main hall.
Inside the historic building itself, the R330k clock tower restoration forms part of a broader revitalisation of City Hall initially pegged at R27m and started almost a decade ago.
It is a landmark also known for being the place where Nelson Mandela first addressed the nation as a free man in 1990. That moment is commemorated with a life-size bronze statue and an exhibition inside the building, which also houses the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and the city's Visitor Experience Centre.
"From clock maintenance, to permanent lighting of the historic front façade, and restoring the carillon bells, we are taking care of Cape Town's precious City Hall and the surrounding precinct in our flourishing Inner City, ensuring that the Mother City does not walk the path of decline sadly visible in other municipalities," said Mayor Hill-Lewis.
The City Hall is one of the municipality's strategic assets and its facilities have undergone several upgrades including to its CCTV system, wayfinding signage, and lighting.
"These ongoing improvements has seen City Hall being booked to near capacity, hosting events such as the State of the Nation Address (SONA), concerts of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra, and various choir competitions. It is also host to the Nelson Mandela in Cape Town Legacy Exhibition, the Cape Town Civic Collection's Attic Exhibition and Cape Town Tourism's City Hall Visitor Experience Centre," said Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth Alderman James Vos.
Q&A: Restoring Cape Town's historic City Hall clock
Lead engineer Marius Schoeman spoke to Time Out at the momentous unveiling and behind-the-scenes look of what it took to bring city's special timekeeper back to life.
Marius: With all the regulatory and procurement steps, the full project took about six months. The physical restoration - disassembling, repairing, and reassembling- took three months.
Time Out: What were some of the challenges?
Marius: First, understanding the mechanism from both an engineering and horological point of view. There's almost no historical documentation left, so we had to reverse-engineer it from scratch.
Then, of course, sourcing the right expertise through the city's formal processes took time. Disassembly took about two days—we catalogued everything and created CAD drawings. Each part was restored by hand. Reassembly was done in a day once we understood the mechanism, followed by fine-tuning, pendulum setting, and establishing long-term maintenance systems.
Marius: Not exactly new - but we reinstated the original manual winding system, so it now has to be wound three times a week. We also brought back the silencing mechanism, which allows us to mute the bells during Philharmonic concerts in the main hall. It's all about staying true to the original while keeping things functional.
Marius: It's a living reminder of the passage of time - both literally and symbolically. This clock was once Cape Town's main time reference, and it's witnessed over a century of change. These days, it's not about keeping time- it's about keeping connection.
Personally, I find the chimes grounding. They make you aware of time passing, and that's quite beautiful. As an engineer, it's also rare to work on something with this kind of visibility and historical value. I even use it to teach engineering students.
Marius: Sure,
The mechanism is fully imperial, so restoring it using modern metric tools was tricky.
We reinstated the original weight system, which had been replaced during previous upgrades.
And during testing, one of the weights got snagged inside the wooden shaft, causing a temporary stop. It took time to figure out- it wasn't visible! Just a small misalignment, but it reminded us how precise this clock has to be.
Marius: We're working on restoring the organ inside City Hall, and also planning some work on the carillon bells above the tower. These heritage projects take time, but they're deeply rewarding. It's a privilege to help preserve them for the future.
The restoration of the City Hall clock is more than a technical achievement - it's a statement of civic care. It affirms Cape Town's commitment to preserving public heritage, revitalising the inner city, and making meaningful, small details part of everyday life again. So the next time you're in town, pause on the Parade. Listen closely. The bells are back - and so is a piece of Cape Town's remarkable heritage.