Lighthouse Clock Tower

Legend has it that Colombo's most famous landmark was commissioned by the wife of Governor Sir Henry Ward in the hope that it would teach the Ceylonese to be punctual. Unfortunately, the clock never worked properly and its replacement, commissioned in 1872 (from the manufacturers of London's famous Big Ben), was installed only in 1914, having been kept in storage for forty-two years due to the expense of installation!

The clock tower has been more successful as a lighthouse in spite of its unusual inshore, city-centre location. Until well into the 1950s, the Lighthouse Clock Tower continued to guide ships along the coast of Colombo.