The essence of clocks has, for the most part, been lost over time. In Kenya for instance, we still have city clocks in major urban centres. But with mobiles and wristwatches, these timepiece structures are becoming more traditional. Still, one clock that stands in the heart of Nyeri is an epic reminder of the town’s illustrious history – and a perhaps overlooked fact: time can in fact stand still. It is the Old Nyeri Clock Tower and it’s one of Kenya’s national monuments.
The Construction of the Tower
Built in 1902, the 11th-century masterpiece was among the town’s first landmarks and took about a year to construct. Located within Our Lady of Consolata Catholic Cathedral, it decorates the Nyeri skyline. It has come to be known as one of the most famous clock towers in Kenya. Nyeri residents will tell you that the tower has seen and survived many seasons, from the era when the area was known as the ‘white highlands’ to the State of Emergency period, to independence, and eventually the 21st century.
Yet with all these interesting titbits, some may wonder about its architect.
Brother Luigi Falda was the Italian Consolata missionary behind the construction of this iconic monument. In his heyday, Luigi was first stationed at Tuthu in Murang’a, before transitioning to Nyeri with fellow missionaries, Brother Celeste Lusso, and Father Philip Perlo. At Nyeri, the trio were welcomed by Chief Karuri wa Gakure – a well-known and read-about Kikuyu Paramount Chief.
A Clock with a Purpose
As part of their missionary work, the Brothers took time to develop the area by setting up necessary institutions. This would not only transform the former sleepy village but would also become the location to lay the foundations of the Catholic Church in the Mount Kenya region. The clock tower was the final aspect of their project.
The tower was designed to be wind-powered and had a bell at the centre. The bell rang loud enough to be heard along a five-kilometre radius, as per the corresponding hour. For instance, at noon it would ring 12 times.
Generally, the clock initially served two functions: the first being to help locate the missionaries’ settlement area, and the second was to signal farmers when their shifts began and ended. Beyond this, the clock also acted as a time guide for prayers. To date, the tower’s bell reminds residents about prayer time.
Design Inspiration
The architectural design mimics tons of clock towers, typical stone-storeyed structures, erected worldwide to commemorate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee. This serves to compound the historical significance of the tower given the particularly rich history accorded to clock towers.
The clock’s face has and still uses Roman numerals. They punctuate the structure with the aesthetic touch synonymous with quintessential tower clocks. The elegance of the numerals is attributed to the temporal sensibility of the period within which the tower was erected. Additionally, Roman cultural imprints define them as elegant and sophisticated and are key for the visual appearance of such clocks.
This monument lingers on our consciousness as it is one of the few adorning a locality that was not in the then-major towns of Kenya. It shows the penetration of the colonial empire and the influence of the missionaries particularly in shaping life as we know it. The enormous structure has held together through thick and thin to outlive the pioneer missionaries who constructed it. The clock has withstood rough times for over a century. Talk of resilience!
Gazetted as a national monument in 2001, the giant clock tower venerates the historical space held by the Consolata missionaries in Kenya. This relates to the missionaries’ influence on the social architecture of the country as well as physical infrastructure in terms of schools, hospitals and churches.
This clock tower is undoubtedly one of the most important architectural heritages left by Catholic Church missionaries in Kenya.
#KeMonuments