The dismantling of the Clock Tower in Victoria began on the morning of Sunday 12 April.
Officials and members of the public gathered to witness the process. Among those present were the Minister for Tourism and Culture, Amanda Bernstein, the Principal Secretary for Culture, Arts and National Heritage, Cecile Kalebi, and the Executive Director of the National Heritage Council, Benjamine Rose. The Chief Executive of the Seychelles Infrastructure Agency, Jitesh Shah, also attended. Historical enthusiasts were also present.
The minister said the dismantling marks a first for the monument.
“I am here this morning as this is part of our history now. For 123 years, the clock tower has been in place and we have never moved it. Today for the first time, we will dismantle it to give it the attention that it really needs and we are seeing slowly several additional components of works that we need to do,” said Mrs Bernstein.
Mr Guy Emilie, the caretaker of the Clock Tower, was also present. He has held this role for 15 years and is responsible for maintaining the monument.
The construction company Laxmanbhai is carrying out the dismantling work. Technicians from Gillett & Johnson are supervising the process. The operations manager, Gerald Coombes-Winyard, is overseeing the work.
Mr Coombes-Winyard previously visited Seychelles in 2024 to assess the condition of the clock tower and evaluate the work required.
Workers removed several components on the first day. These include the crown at the top, the clock faces, and parts of the internal mechanism. Specialists then measured the dismantled parts before preparing them for restoration.
Mr Coombes-Winyard said he will travel with some smaller components later this week so that they can be duplicated.
The Clock Tower stands in the centre of Victoria. It dates to the British colonial period and authorities erected it in April 1903 in memory of Queen Victoria. The monument also inspired the logo of Victoria Scope.