‘Binns clock’ to be restored for tourism centre in Edinburgh
Restoration work will soon begin on a well loved clock in Edinburgh which has languished in disrepair for several years.
The “Binns clock” at the West End of Princes Street will be restored as part of work on the new Johnnie Walker visitor experience.
Named after the former department store that installed it, the cantilever clock which stood over the shop’s corner entrance at Shandwick Place was traditionally a meeting point for couples.
It has fallen into disrepair in recent years, leaving the handpainted Highland figures which march out of the clock to mark the hour and halfhour no longer being used.
The clock will be restored by clockmakers from the Cumbria Clock Company, in Penrith, one of the UK’S leading heritage clock specialists.
It has been dismantled and will be taken to its workshop where it will be restored to its original condition.
The clock was installed in 1960 by the Binns department store.
Binns, founded in 1807 by Yorkshire draper George Binns, took over the building from Robert Maule & Son, home furnishers who had occupied it since 1894.
Binns occupied the premises between 1934 and 1953, when it was taken over by House of Fraser, which in turn closed in November 2018.
Development work is under way to turn the site into a multi-million-pound Johnnie Walker “immersive visitor experience” on three floors, including performing events space for music and theatre, shops and a rooftop bar.
The refurbished building could be open as soon as next Christmas.
It is expected to create between 160 and 180 fulltime jobs, including experience ambassadors, bartenders, retail consultants, front of house staff and professional actors.
The visitor experience is the focal point of a £185 million investment in Scotch whisky and tourism from drinks giant Diageo.
Ewan Andrew, Diageo’s president of global supply and procurement, said: “The clock is such an important part of the cityscape and is so fondly regarded by Edinburgh locals that it will be great to reinstate it as it used to be.
“With the restoration we want the Johnnie Walker Princes Street clock to once more become an iconic meeting place.”
Mark Crangel, of Cumbria Clock Company, said: “It’s great to be working on this clock because it is such a well known landmark in Edinburgh.
“It will be a demanding job but it will be incredibly satisfying to see the clock working again as it did when it was first installed 60 years ago.”