The Princes Street Gardens Floral Clock will not be planted this winter so that refurbishment work can be carried out on features surrounding the famous horticultural timepiece.

The stonework of the adjacent Allan Ramsay Statue is to be repaired and the clock’s cuckoo box will be completely replaced over the winter period with the clock returning to its full glory for the summer.

The stones of the Allan Ramsay statue will be re-pointed and re-set meaning that large amounts of soil must be removed for access. The wooden cuckoo box will be removed and re-built by the council’s joiners whilst the cuckoo mechanism is expertly refurbished by clockmakers James Ritchie & Son.

City of Edinburgh Council Environment Leader Robert Aldridge said:
“Princes Street Gardens is a beautiful place to spend time and we want to keep it that way. Both the Allan Ramsay statue and the clock’s cuckoo box are in need of repair and although this means we will miss the Floral Clock this winter, the works will preserve the famous features of the Gardens for many years to come.”

Work will begin in the coming weeks and the floral clock will be re-planted in June 2008.