Time Ball Tower
This historic building stands in Deal, Kent. It was built as a semaphore tower for the navy - at the end of one of several lines of communication between the Admiralty in London and the coast. Then it became a time ball tower. In the days of sail large numbers of vessels would moor up off Deal. At 13:00 precisely every day that ball you can see on the pole was allowed to drop. The ships were thus able to adjust their chronometers to the exact time. This continued into the 1920's. Today the tower is a small museum that is well worth a visit. The dropping of the ball is demonstrated every hour.
Time Ball Tower
This historic building stands in Deal, Kent. It was built as a semaphore tower for the navy - at the end of one of several lines of communication between the Admiralty in London and the coast. Then it became a time ball tower. In the days of sail large numbers of vessels would moor up off Deal. At 13:00 precisely every day that ball you can see on the pole was allowed to drop. The ships were thus able to adjust their chronometers to the exact time. This continued into the 1920's. Today the tower is a small museum that is well worth a visit. The dropping of the ball is demonstrated every hour.