An earthquake survivor, battered but still standing, the Victoria Clock Tower still shows 12.51pm, the time of the 22 February 2011 quake. This simple fact is cause for debate over memory and heritage.

The richly ornate High Victorian clock tower, designed by Benjamin Mountfort for the Provincial Council Buildings, was shipped over from England in 1861. Found to be too heavy for the timber tower, the clock was subsequently consigned to the council yards. In 1897 a memorial was required for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, and the clock tower was retrieved from the yards to take on a new role. Returned ‘Home’ (to England) for renovation, it was then erected on the corner of Manchester, High and Lichfield Streets.

By 1930 it had become hazard in the increasing traffic, and was moved to its current location on Victoria Street. Renovated and earthquake strengthened in 2003-4, a letter to the editor commented that it was still not very good at keeping time. All of this calls into the Christchurch City Council’s assertion that the clock should be fixed so that it can fulfil its role as a timepiece, and its purpose as a memorial to Queen Victoria’s jubilee.

Heritage is dynamic, and even small places like the clock tower emphasise how memories accumulate, and can be vulnerable to imposed rules and principles.