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Clip description
This unedited mute, black-and-white footage shows the clock face from the Sydney GPO being removed in 1942.
Curator’s notes
This footage gives an indication of the care which had to be taken in the removal of the individual parts of the clock tower. Although opened in 1874, the Sydney GPO was constructed in stages from 1866 to 1891. Original sketches for the design of the building by the Colonial Architect, James Barnet, did not include a clock tower. It was added in the later stages, and it was these 1890s drawings that were used to identify and label all the parts. The clock itself was sent to the Government Stores depot at Shea’s Creek, Mascot, while the bells were put in storage at Sydenham.
