Crane fits ball on top of tower

The huge ball was lowered onto the top of Nelson Monument

Edinburgh's famous time-ball has been lowered back in place on top of the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill.

A 30ft crane positioned the zinc and timber sphere onto the tower as part of a £250,000 restoration project.

The time-ball, dating from 1852, was raised and lowered at 1300 BST daily to give an accurate time reading for mariners on the Forth.

The ball which weighs 762kg - as much as a small car - was removed after it was damaged by storms in 2007.

The structure will not be back in use, however, until late August as stonework repairs and repointing with lime mortar is still to be done.

A key area will be the stonework around an internal corroding iron band, which has already caused some stone to flake off at parapet level.

It is part of the Twelve Monuments Restoration Project, by Edinburgh City Council, Edinburgh World Heritage, charitable trusts and other donations.

Adam Wilkinson, Edinburgh World Heritage director, said: "This is great news for Edinburgh, and marks an important milestone in the Twelve Monuments Project.

"As the project has progressed we have learnt more about the importance of time-ball and its place among other mechanisms around the world.

A huge crane was used to lower the ball onto Nelson Monument

"No longer will this great institution drop with an ignominious thunk, instead the repaired historic mechanism will ensure it glides to its resting place each day at one o'clock."

The time-ball predates the city's One O'Clock Gun by nine years. Sailors needed an accurate time signal in order to set their chronometers, and navigate effectively.

Deidre Brock, Edinburgh City Council's convenor for culture and leisure, said: "This major partnership project between the council and Edinburgh World Heritage has restored one of Edinburgh's most prominent monuments to its former glory, preserving an important part of our city's maritime heritage for future generations.

"I'm delighted that once again residents of Edinburgh and visitors will be able to look to the monument at one o'clock each day to see the magnificent time-ball mechanism in action."

Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said: "Nelson Monument is part of the city's backdrop and the releasing of the time-ball at one o'clock every day is a tradition that has been missed over the last year."