Postcard ZA-79517

City Hall
The present City Hall was built on the site of the Volksraadsaal of the Voortrekkers and completed in 1900. On June 6, 1969, the Pietermaritzburg City Hall was declared a National Monument.
It is notable for its fine stained-glass windows and domes and, according to Ripley’s "Believe it or not!" is the largest all-brick building south of the Equator.
One of the most important features of the City Hall is the clock tower, which rises majestic 47 metres from the pavement to the finial at the top of the tower. The clock itself is a Westminster 4/4 chime Tower Clock and was manufactured by Gillette and Johnston of Croydon, England.
It began to keep track of time on June 16, 1900, at precisely the same hour of the day as its predecessor, which stopped; due to a fire on July 12, 1898 when the first City Hall was destroyed. The dials of the clock are on the fifth storey of the tower and the 12 city bells are in the belfry above.