Photo of the day No. 3 - KCR Clock Tower 1915 Hong Kong

11 Feb

The very best things to do in Hong Kong in 2025

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Photo of the day No. 3 - KCR Clock Tower 1915 Hong Kong

The very best things to do in Hong Kong in 2025

The amazing old 44m KCR Clock Tower which was built in 1915 and is all that remains of the old Kowloon to Canton Railway Terminus (KCR) that opened in 1916 and was demolished in 1978 - another iconic building that should have been preserved

click on the image to enlarge

Learn more please read this amazingly detailed timeline of the KCR Clock Tower from Gwulo

Hong Kong has had some iconic clock towers over the years, none more so than the KCR Clock Tower which still stands next to the Star Ferry Terminal, TST Promenade in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is hard to miss.

I first visited the Terminus with that clock tower on January 3rd 1972 as it was just a 10 minute walk from the hotel we stayed in after arriving in Hong Kong, when you are a kid, exploring on your own is a thing and I fell in love with the building immediately and I was deeply saddened when it was demolished in 1978, for me, anyway for no good reason, the building should of absolutely been preserved, it just seems odd that they kept the clock tower and demolished the terminus.

It would appear that the primary reason to demolish the Railway Terminus was that it had limited capacity to handle large crowds so it was decided that a new Terminus would be built just up the road so to speak in Hung Hom. This new Railway Terminus was actually built before the KCR Terminus was demolished as the decision had been made to get rid of it in the late 1960’s. apparently they had plans for the new Cultural Centre to replace it and that was that.

Apparently when it was also mentioned that the clock tower would be demolished as well that got the residents up in arms, groups were formed, protests held, petitions signed by many residents and one was sent to Queen Elizabeth in the UK, save the terminus, save the clock tower as it were by Heritage Groups.

In a nutshell the decision was made to preserver the clock tower but demolish the terminus and the site ended up having a new Cultural Centre being built, that is a whole other subject given its weird design. (Prince Charles and Princess Diana attended its opening!)

One oddity about the clock tower is that it was built and completed in 1915 but some key components of the clock were missing and delays due to WW 1 meant that they did not reach Hong Kong until 1920 and the clock tower started functioning in 1921.

Rather bizzarely they took the one tonne bell that swung at the top of the tower down and placed it at the bottom near the entrance to the building which means the bell does not chime (they introduced a tinny recording of bell chimes in its place not too long ago)

Not all is lost, the clock tower got heritage status in 1990 from the Antiquities and Monuments Office which is good news.

The clocks still functions and are lovingly maintained by a small group of technicians, in fact the only time they did not function was in the Japanese Occupation 1941 - 1945 WW2.

Learn more about Clock Towers in Hong Kong by Zolima Magazine

Zolima magazine is one of my favourite online “magazines” so to speak, they really get the essence of what makes Hong Kong such a great city, I only wish I could write blog posts like they write consistently brilliant articles, including one about clock towers in Hong Kong.

**The KCR Clock Tower and Railway Terminus in 1948**

The Terminus was a magnificent Edwardian style building

Another snippet about the bell that is in the clock tower and visible through the window, when the terminus was demolished in 1978 it was decided to remove the bell and for 3o+ years it was put on display at various railway stations around Hong Kong before returning to the clock tower in 2010, quite why they did not rehang it and let it chime is one of life’s great mysteries, I guess they just could not be bothered, in fact it should never had been removed in the first place.

Bullet holes and shrapnel damage on the clock tower exterior, these used to be quite visible in the old days, collateral damage during the Japanese invasion in 1941, I have not looked for a while but they renovated the clock tower some years ago and it would not surprise me if they repaired the damage.

Learn more | images I have taken of the Old KCR Clock Tower in Hong Kong

… and finally. what is the statue in the image of the day close to the Clock Tower and the Cultural Centre?

This description by Brad a renowned contributor on Tripadvisor in Hong Kong is the best I have seen,

“The Flying Frenchmen is a peculiar bronze sculpture located in the square alongside the pool and historic Clock Tower. This is the work of sculptor, César Baldaccini and was erected here in 1992. It is a 7-metre long, 5-metre tall contemporary figure of a machine gunner, standing firmly and pointing weapon outward.”

Makes for a good selfie!

So there you go, when in Hong Kong please do visit the iconic clock tower, it is easy to get to and next to the Star Ferry on Kowloon side and on most days a Mr. Softee ice cream truck is parked next to the clock tower, quite yummy I might add!