Historic Christie Clock removed by Stirling Council after over 100 years due to safety fears

A famous historic clock which has stood at the centre of a city for more than 100 years has been controversially removed by the council due to safety concerns.

Last week, the Christie Clock in Stirling was found to be unstable when it was inspected by structural engineers as part of a routine maintenance regime.

Stirling Council said that on Friday, “contractors tried valiantly for five hours to remove the crown of this well-loved landmark but, unfortunately, due to the lack of stability within the clock structure, the pillar also had to be removed from site”.

Locals from the area criticised the council removing the clock and claimed it had been removed at night with no warning.

However, the council defended its actions stating that conservation officers were involved in the inspection along with senior stonemasons and structural engineers.

A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “Stirling Council is aware of concerns raised by residents as a result of the structural operations around the Christie Clock.

“Issues were first raised over the integrity of the clock crown on Tuesday August 29, as part of our routine maintenance regime, and a full structural investigation took place later that day.

“Various measures for stabilisation of the Christie Clock were considered following inspection by senior stonemasons, structural engineers and conservation officers.

“However, due to the complexity of the structural issues, and following advice from structural engineers and senior stonemasons, all works had to be undertaken urgently and mechanically from above to ensure the safety of public, officers and operatives.

“Due to the urgent nature of the concerns, contractors – including structural engineers – attended the site yesterday (Friday, September 1) and worked through various options to extract the clock head.

“At all times, we worked with conservation officers and had all historic records in place before any work progressed.”

Now that the clock has been removed from the site, restoration work on the pillar, crown and clock will be looked at.

The council added: “Sections of the clock have been removed intact and all stonework associated with clock tower has been removed from site and stored to allow further investigation and work.

“Repair work on the base will commence over the next two weeks and we will shortly begin a review of a restoration project on the pillar, crown and clock.”

The clock tower was erected in the city in 1906 in memory of George Christie, who was Provost of the Royal Burgh of Stirling from 1870 to 1879.