Location
The clock tower is situated north of the Secunderabad Railway Station.
Description
Secunderabad Clock Tower was constructed on 10 acres of land and was inaugurated on February 1, 1897, by Resident Sir Trevor John Chichele Plowden. The cost was footed by Maharashtra-based businessman Dewan Bahadur Seth Lachmi Narayan Ramgopal, the industrialist of the DBR Mills.
The clock tower was built in classic European style and is square in plan. The three-tiered structure rises to a cubic segment housing the clock. It reflects Secunderabad’s past with the British Imperialists and the East India Company. The lower three tiers have been constructed with exposed ashlar while the rest is built in lime mortar.
Existing Condition
The clock tower was originally housed within a public park, which has been reduced to a major traffic junction.
In 2006, the size of the park housing the tower was reduced to widen the roads, the clock tower was renovated, the park was landscaped with lawns and hedges, and a waterfall was installed. The renovation was completed in 2005, and the park was inaugurated by then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy in 2006.A martyr’s memorial was also established inside the park in memory of the first police firing in 1969 during a separate Telangana agitation.
Archive
References
Mehdi Saajid, Md Sibghat Khan. Hyderabad Deccan: Illustrated, 2022.
“Renovated Clock Tower Park to be opened today”. The Times of India. 26 February 2006. Archived from the original
“Floral tributes to Telangana martyrs”. The Hindu. 5 April 2010. Archived from the original
Contributors
The Deccan Archive, NIUM