Historic Time Ball Tower at the V&A Waterfront restored to glory

Cape Town, 13 November 2025 – A Cape Town maritime landmark, the Time Ball Tower at the V&A Waterfront, located next to the Dock House Boutique Hotel, has been meticulously restored to its 19th century glory. Erected in 1894 to ensure safe passage for incoming ships, the tower now stands as a revived symbol of the city’s rich maritime history.

The restoration project was initiated after a conversation between Geordin Hill-Lewis, Executive Mayor of Cape Town, and David Green, Chief Executive Officer of the V&A Waterfront, about safeguarding the city’s history.  This project breathes new life into a structure that once played a vital role in maritime navigation before the digital age of radio and Global Positioning Systems (GPS).

Each day at 12h55, the time ball mechanism would be manually cranked, and the ball dropped precisely five minutes later at 13h00, triggered electronically by a signal from the South African Astronomical Observatory. “This allowed navigators on ships in Table Bay to accurately reset their chronometers to correctly calculate longitude at sea and ensure safe navigation,” said Steven Bentley, V&A Waterfront Harbour Master.

“By preserving our maritime heritage, we symbolise Cape Town’s longstanding role as a global maritime hub and the V&A Waterfront’s continued function as one of the world’s oldest working harbours. We are proud that the Time Ball Tower will add depth to our city’s tourism and cultural offering by bringing this important piece of history back to life.” said David Green, V&A Waterfront CEO

The Cape’s original time ball was installed in 1836 on the mast of the main Royal Observatory building, but by the mid-19th century, the expansion of the settlement and the development of the Table Bay Docks had obscured its visibility from the harbour. By the mid-19th century, a second time ball was installed on Signal Hill, but with growing volumes of maritime trade, there was a need for a time-signalling device within the harbour itself. The Time Ball Tower remained operational for over 40 years and was declared a national monument in 1982.

Bringing the time ball back to life was a collaboration between MNA Engineering & Supplies, Thorold Architects, Henry Fagan Consulting Engineers & Project Managers, and Professor George Vicatos. Vicatos, who recreated the original technical drawings for the Time Ball Tower during its 1997 restoration, oversaw the recent refurbishment and reassembly of the 1 200kg fibreglass time ball.

“Despite significant degradation, around 80% of the parts simply needed machining and slight modification. Components that were beyond repair or no longer available were carefully replaced with newly-manufactured parts,” said Mogamad Samuels of MNA Engineering & Supplies, who described the once-in-a-lifetime job as challenging but most rewarding.

Protective bellows have been fitted to prevent the ingress of water that previously caused corrosion. “The V&A Waterfront will conduct ongoing maintenance to ensure it remains operational into the future,” Green said.

This revived landmark, reopened to the public, operates as it originally did – manually cranked at 12h55 with the ball dropping at 13h00. The Time Ball will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays. “This adds a second time‑signalling device to Cape Town’s landscape, with the Noon Gun serving as an audible signal and the Time Ball Tower providing a visual one” Green said.

Visitors to the V&A Waterfront can learn about the history behind the Time Ball Tower, as well as other heritage landmarks around the precinct, through the free self-guided audio walking tour “Reinventing the Tavern of the Seas”