The Taiping Clock Tower was originally constructed as a wooden building in 1881, and served as the first police station in Taiping. At the time, it was constructed it sat “at a point about equidistant from the Chinese theatre, the market and other much frequented places”, in what would have been Taiping’s main square. It was popularly known as The Fort among locals. It was later rebuilt in 1891 as a fortified stone building.
In 1908, the building began to serve a dual purpose, that of Taiping’s police station, as well as its fire station. This was considered to be the very first fire brigade in the Federated Malay States. The clock tower itself, a fortified tower with chamfered slits for gun slots was most probably erected much later. A wind vane in the shape of a rooster sat at the peak of the tower. The Clock Tower continued to serve as a police station till it was abandoned in 1950.
The building was originally a square-shaped fortified structure, but some of the building was demolished after the 1950s. The entire building itself would have been demolished save for the good sense of the authorities that later decided to conserve the building. The building fell into disrepair several times, but much effort has been put into refurbishing and restoring the building in recent years. In 2018 restoration works were completed and the clock began chiming again after a 10-year silence.
Not to be missed is the red phone booth just outside the tower, the only one of its kind still in its original location in Taiping.
The Taiping Clock Tower served as the main Tourist Information Center in Taiping in the days preceding the Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia. It is now temporarily closed to the public, but the exterior is still accessible and makes for some really good photography. It is an iconic landmark of Taiping, and a must-visit for history, architecture, and photography aficionados.
There are several restaurants nearby, and it is roughly a 10-minute walk from the Taiping Lake Gardens.
