Time Ball—Fort Canning, Singapore
Posted by: 
Ianatlarge
N 01° 17.502 E 103° 50.838
48N E 371757 N 142800
A time ball on a hill overlooking Singapore City.
Waymark Code: WMFQ93
Location: Singapore
Date Posted: 11/17/2012
Views: 16
This once functional time ball is now a tourist attraction. The ball itself is a silver sphere, an estimated half a metre in diameter, suspended in a metal framework approximately 10 metres high. There is no sign of a release mechanism, the ball is most likely not in use.
The time ball is located on the southern slope of Fort Canning hill, which lies 1-2kms to the north west of the Singapore CBD. The ball is adjacent to "Raffles House". This hill in times past was an administrative, residential, and military headquarters area for the rulers of Singapore. Now it is a tourist destination, replete with tourist sites. Worth a visit in itself.
The immediate area around the time ball is at the current time filled with trees, rendering the ball barely visible, however, if the area was free of obstruction the ball would be visible over a goodly portion of the city area of Singapore.
There is a multi-lingual tourist plaque (in gallery) with a brief history of the ball and time balls. The plaque incorrectly states that the first ball was dropped in 1823, when it was 1829. The plaque also states that this ball followed the British practice of raising the ball at 12.55, and dropping at 13.00. There is also a faded picture of the ball from the city.
This ball would have been used to set time in the city. Apparently, there was a second time ball in Singapore, in the dock area. This would have been used for nautical purposes. It is unknown if this ball is still extant.
Type: Time Ball
In service: no
Time of signal: 13.00
Year established (if known): Unknown
Year decommissioned (if applicable): Unknown
Address:
Fort Canning
Singapore City
Singapore
Weblink (if any): Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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