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The Bangkok 200th Anniversary Clock Tower along Sanam Chai Road was constructed to commemorate a mansion that was used when King Rama IV wanted to establish a standard time in Siam. This took place in 1857, much earlier than the Greenwich Mean Time was established in 1884.
Clock Tower (29 August 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Siam was the first nation in the world to announce a Standard Time, which they did in 1868. The Siamese Standard Time was based on astronomical calculations of the position of the sun and the moon. It was only during the reign of King Rama VI that Siam switched to follow the GMT time.
The present Clock Tower was erected in 1982, along with the nearby Drum Tower, in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the founding of Bangkok.
Updates & Corrections
2 August 2011* According to reader, Mr Paul Kirby, although the present clock tower is based on the design of the mansion, both the present clocktower and drum tower are smaller than the original structures. The original mansion was actually located across Sanam Chai Road, inside the walls of the Grand Palace, south of where the Borom Phiman Mansion now stands. The original clocktower was built between 1858 and 1858. It was torn down some time after 1889.
Both the clock tower and drum tower were approximately equal in size, judging from old photographs taken around 1860s. The drum tower is almost as tall as the Viharn of Wat Pho, while the present drum tower is only about half the height.
Another view of the Clock Tower (29 August 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Getting there
The 200th Anniversary Clock Tower is located along Sanam Chai Road. It is across the road from Wat Pho. The easiest way to reach this part of Bangkok is by taxi. Otherwise, you can also take the BTS Skytrain to the Saphan Taksin Station (S6)) and then catch a ferryboat to Chang Pier (N9).Nearby Sights
- Bangkok 200th Anniversary Drum Tower
- King Vajiravudh Museum
- Ministry of Defence Building
- Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew
- Sanam Luang
- Lak Muang (City Pillar)
- Wat Ratchapradit
- Wat Ratchabophit
- Mae Toranee
- National Museum
- Wat Mahathat
- Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
The Clock Tower as seen from Wat Pho (29 August 2006)
© Timothy Tye using this photo
Location Map of the 200th Anniversary Clock Tower in Bangkok
Bibliography
- Panorama of Bangkok in the Reign of King Rama IV: a New Discovery
Book showcasing photographs taken in the 1860s by Thai royal photographer Khun Sunthornsathitsalak (@ Francis Chit).
Published by Mang Boran, ISBN-10: 9747383004, ISBN-13: 978-9747383003
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