Bangkok 200th Anniversary Clock Tower, Bangkok

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Exploring Bangkok 200th Anniversary Clock Tower

The Bangkok 200th Anniversary Clock Tower along Sanam Chai Road was constructed to commemorate a mansion that once stood there. That mansion 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.

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 Clock Tower was erected in 1982, along with the nearby Drum Tower, in conjunction with the 200th anniversary of the founding of Bangkok.

Update 26 June 2010
According to Paul Kirby, a reader writing to me, this clock tower is actually a replica of an original which once stood within the compound of the Royal Palace.

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).