Old Colombo Lighthouse, Colombo

The Old Colombo Lighthouse, also known as the Colombo Fort Clock Tower, is a historic landmark that reflects both the city’s colonial heritage and maritime history. Originally serving as a lighthouse, it is no longer operational and now functions solely as a clock tower.

The clock tower was constructed between 1856 and 1857 and was formally commissioned on 25 March 1857. It was designed by Emily Elizabeth Ward, wife of Governor Sir Henry George Ward, and built under the supervision of Mr. John Flemming Churchill, Director General of Public Works. At 29 metres high, it was the tallest structure in Colombo at the time, symbolizing both the city’s growth and the prominence of colonial architecture. The clock mechanism was crafted by the renowned English clockmakers Dent, who had also produced the famous Big Ben in London, and featured a main bell of approximately 150 kg along with two auxiliary bells.

Before the construction of the clock tower, the original Colombo lighthouse had been erected in 1829 on a bastion at the ocean edge of the fort. This neo-classical structure featured a 23-metre wooden light tower rising from a two-storey circular brick building, surrounded by an elaborate colonnade. However, the lighthouse was eventually decommissioned on 12 July 1952, after its light was obscured by surrounding buildings, and replaced by the modern Galle Buck Lighthouse on Marine Drive. The removal of the fort ramparts between 1869 and 1871 led to the demolition of the original lighthouse structure.

Today, while it no longer serves maritime functions, the clock tower remains a functional timepiece and a reminder of Colombo’s colonial-era urban planning, engineering, and nautical significance.