Toronto Old City Hall Bell Tower Clock

Installed in 1900 this Gillett & Johnston clock has run nearly continuously since then - keeping time on the clock tower of the Toronto Old City Hall.

Be amazed - Toronto relies on this ancient clock to keep time for the downtown core.
The bells are legendary and are an aural symbol of Toronto. The chiming of the bells punctuate the city, marking each 15 minutes of the day - seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

The clock room houses three bells. The largest bell, all 11,000 pounds of it, is known as Big Ben. There is one small and unofficial inscription just below the coat of arms on the bell and reads "J.K.Oct.18, 1900". Four garnished stone gargoyles grace the upper corners of the clock tower.

This building is Toronto's third City Hall and is located at 60Queen Street West, in the heart of the city's financial district. Architect Edward James Lennox was the winner of the Toronto architectural competition to build this project. He accepted the council's offer to build the structure in 1887. The building was under construction for more than a decade with a cost of more than $2.5 million. Due to the high thickness of the basement walls (more than 7 feet thick) and the massive foundation, the progress of the building was slow. But it remains impressive to this day.

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Education

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• Bell Tower Tour
• Toronto
• Downtown
• Old City Hall
• City Hall
• Canada
• Chime
• Clock
• Gillett and Johnston
• Bell Tower
• Bell
• Big Ben
• Bells in Toronto
• E.J LENNOX