The Time Ball

When Prestons of Bolton built their new store at No 2 Deansgate in 1913, they installed a Time Ball which rose at precisely 12:55pm and dropped on the hour. This was to allow the workers in Bolton to accurately set their pocket watches and for the mill owners to set their clocks.

Time Balls were first used to allow ships captains to set their chronometers on board before they set sail as they needed accuracy to calculate longitude critical for accurate navigation.

Today there are three working Time Balls in the UK, at Deal Kent, The Greenwich Observatory in London and at The Time Ball Building at Prestons of Bolton all linked by satellite to ensure absolute accuracy.