21/08/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19Di3ZDN6w/?mibextid=wwXIfr
This is the view that thousands of convicts and later prisoners had of the stunning clock tower of Trinity Church, the Penitentiary Chapel.
In late August 1833, Lieutenant-Governor George Arthur instructed Josiah Spode to place a clock in a prominent position within the Penitentiary. Architect John Lee Archer designed the clock tower to rise above the existing free settler entrance to the chapel. Inspired by the Renaissance churches of London, the tower is considered one of Archer's finest works and a remarkable example of colonial architecture in Australia. Its fine brickwork and structural details reflect the growing technical skills available in the colony at the time.
The clock was one of six made in 1828 by London clockmakers Thwaites & Reed for public buildings in Tasmania. Its hand-beaten copper faces feature Roman numerals in gold leaf on a black background.
Restored in 1985 by clockmaker Eddie Kent, the clock is still capable of working today. A heavy weight suspended from a drum powers the mechanism and it must be wound by hand every six days, while a large pendulum keeps time.
For safety reasons, we no longer climb the ladders to wind the clock, but wouldn't it be wonderful to see the clock automated and striking the hour once again in this part of Hobart?
Anyone keen to help make it happen?
