Iconic TSS clock tower a hidden slice of Gold Coast history

GOLD Coasters will get a rare chance to climb the stairs of the Clock Tower at TSS when the city hosts its inaugural Gold Coast Open House on October 17.

The Southport School seniors Rob Taylor and Greg Gook along with deputy-principal Alan Parsons have a rare look inside the clock tower at the school. Pic TIm Marsden

TUCKED away at the top of The Southport School’s iconic clock tower is a tiny room that houses the historical landmark’s bells — and a hidden slice of its history.

Off limits to students at the elite private boys school for more than 50 years, the walls of the “attic” are covered in the scribbled names of past students.

TSS Deputy Headmaster Alan Parsons said the room, accessible only by climbing a steep ladder, had housed the school’s timepiece for almost a century.

He said the names scrawled on its walls were “a bit of graffiti” probably scrawled by boarders who lived in a dormitory beneath the tower and climbed to the top at night for a dare.

CHEVRON GREEN BRIDGE COST REVIEW

WATCH: SHOCKING TRAM NEAR MISSES

The Southport School deputy-principal Alan Parsons Pic: Tim Marsden

“Sometimes boys have been able to access it,” he said.

“It’s not really a public area, so it’s not a concern.”

The tower is one of four historically significant TSS buildings opening for public inspection on October 17 as part of the city’s inaugural Gold Coast Open House.

Designed by architects Atkinson and Conrad, the brick building has served as the school’s centrepiece since the clock struck for the first time at 3pm on October 2, 1926 — by hand, rumour had it, because the bell mechanism was still not working.

“It’s become an icon at the school and on the Gold Coast,” Mr Parsons said.

While student boarders sleep soundly on the floor below the clock as its bells toll, new neighbours often take time to adjust.

“It’s loud enough that if anyone moves in to Yacht Street (at Southport) they ring to ask us if we can turn it off at night,” Mr Parsons said.

“People soon get used to it. It’s like living next to a train station.

“It’s part of the charm of the area.”

The clock features a traditional Westminster chime — four bells for the 15-minute chimes and one big bell to do the hour time — but isn’t always on time.

“If the weights get low, without someone going up to crank up the old clock then it starts to lose a bit of time,” Mr Parsons said.

A monumental project that left the school in debt for years, The Clock Tower building was the pride of TSS founder and inaugural principal Bishop Henry Horace Dixon when it first opened as a dormitory and dining hall in 1926.

The Southport School’s historic buildings will be open to the public at an open day on October 17. Pic: Tim Marsden

Now home to some 70 housemasters and boarders, the building was used as an American army hospital during World War Two.

A joint initiative of the National Trust, Australian Institute of Architects and City of Gold Coast, Open House will give people the chance to explore more than 20 interesting and significant local buildings not typically available for public access

TSS’s St Alban’s Chapel, completed in 1921, with stained glass windows dating back to 1922; Cable Station, repositioned to TSS in 1982 and Heritage Listed in 2007; and Governor’s House, built by Henry Biggs in 1870 and renamed Biddle House in 1985, will also open for guided tours as part of the free event.

People interested in volunteering as Open Day greeters and hosts or to photograph the event can email [e-mail] or register online. Visit goldcoastopenhouse.com.au

if you are interested in volunteering at the Open Day email [e-mail] or register at goldcoastopenhouse.com.au.

People interested in volunteering as Open Day greeters and hosts or to photograph the event can email [e-mail] or register online. Visit goldcoastopenhouse.com.au