Work to fix time ball to take place

Work to fix a recently restored century-old time ball on the clock tower of Hull's Guildhall is due to take place this week.

The golden sphere, mounted 196ft (60m) above the ground was previously out of action for 100 years until it was restored in 2023 as part of a £452,000 project.

According to resident Mary Barlow, 62, the timepiece, which originally dropped at 13:00 BST each day to allow ships to set their clocks, first stopped shortly after the renovation, and again recently.

Hull City Council said the mechanism had been stopped to allow for repair work to be carried out.

Ms Barlow, who works as a HEY! volunteer - a programme which aims to improve lives and experiences through volunteering in the region - said the time ball was very important to Hull.

"My dad was born not from here - in 1919 - and he and his brothers were brought up to believe that the reason Hull was stuck in time was because the time ball didn't work.

"It was a standing joke as they grew up that they would climb up the tower and fix it.

"Because I've got such a long history with the time ball, I try to keep an eye on it," she said.

Ms Barlow said, after the initial outage, the time ball had been working fine up until the clocks went back last October.

"The last couple of months it has not worked at all," she added.

After having no success in finding a reason, Ms Barlow contacted BBC Look North as part of a segment called Leave it to Levy, in which presenter Peter Levy helps to resolve a particular issue.

In a message to the presenter, she said: "Hull's iconic time ball has stopped working and nobody can tell me why."

In response to the show, Gillian Osgerby, interim assistant director for major projects and infrastructure at the council, said: "It is a rare feature, with just a handful in operation across the UK, and so needs a specialist team of engineers when repair works are required.

Ms Osgerby said those works were scheduled for this week.

Local tour guide Paul Schofield, 63, said: "It hasn't worked effectively since the 1920s.

"It seemed to be working fine after it was restored [in 2023], but in recent weeks when people have been stood there they have been very disappointed that it hasn't dropped.

"It is very symbolic of the city, and our maritime history," he added.

The 7st 8lb (50kg) device dates back to 1918 and is covered in 23.5 carat gold leaf.

It is one of just a handful left in the UK, including one at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London.

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