After its unexpected demolition almost two years ago, Stirling’s historic Christie Clock is expected to be restored before the end of 2026.
The 117-year-old memorial was torn down in September 2023, to the outrage and shock of residents.
Last year, Stirling Council agreed to pay for its reinstatement, at a cost of £873,000.
Now, a freedom of information request submitted by The Courier has revealed how much public money has already gone towards both the demolition and planned rebuilding of the Christie Clock.
How much has already been spent on the Christie Clock?
The Christie Clock was pulled down by contractors as it was found to be unstable.
According to documents supplied to The Courier by Stirling Council, the total cost of the demolition was £14,922.36.
This included the removal of the memorial’s crown, clock and column, as well as the storage of these parts.
One month on from the shock demolition, after much public outcry, Stirling Council agreed the clock should be reinstated.
Since then, £27,769 has been spent on consultancy, survey and contractor advisory services to prepare the restoration plans.
Altogether, these costs come to a combined total of £42,691.36.
Added to the upcoming £873,000 repair bill, this brings the cost of the Christie Clock’s removal and return to £915,691.36 – £84,308.64 shy of £1 million.
Why is the rebuild so expensive?
Councillors originally rejected the £873,000 rebuild fee in March 2024 to examine more “cost-effective” solutions.
Then, in December 2024, it was agreed the Christie Clock would be reinstated, with no change to the expected cost.
The full restoration, which aims to use as much of the original stonework as possible, will cost a total of £873,460.
The £678,460 price also includes £95,000 in fees and a £100,000 contingency.
This covers specialist conservation consultants and contractors, as well as conservation and repair work for each element of the clock, new carving work, and the supply and cutting of stone.
Site supervision, cranes, traffic management and site management have also been accounted for.
It is hoped the Christie Clock will be restored by October 2026.
Work will be carried out in three phases: preparation (lasting 24 weeks), off-site restoration (29 weeks), and on-site works (26 weeks).
Where will the money come from?
As part of its recently finalised 2025-26 budget, Stirling Council agreed to split the cost of paying for the clock’s reinstatement across the 2025-26 and 2026-27 financial years.
The money is coming from general prudential borrowing, as part of the overall capital programme resources.
However, not all council members were in agreement.
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache and independent Alasdair MacPherson both voted against the full restoration in December, opting for a cheaper preservation method also presented at the time.
Both said they could not support the council’s proposed 2025-26 budget as a direct result of the Christie Clock reinstatement.
Mr Tollemache said it was a matter of “consistency”, while Mr MacPherson described the situation as a “dealbreaker” due to the work costing “too much money”.
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