Description
The Atkinson’s Clock Tower is perhaps more impressive in legend than it is in stature.
Originally an wood-only-no-nails structure, it was erected in honour of the popular 1st district officer of Jessleton, Francis George Atkinson. The Atkinson’s Clock Tower has kept watch over the city ever since, and likely before any of its current citizens were born.
One of the most enduring landmarks of Kota Kinabalu, the Atkinson’s Clock Tower was originally built in 1905 and famously survived the retreat of the Allied Forces during WWII when almost every other structure in the city was razed to the ground, enabling it to lay claim to being the oldest standing structure in Sabah.
The Atkinson Clock Tower is managed by Sabah Museum under its Antiquity and History department, and is located next to the Traffic Police Station at the foot of Signal Hill within an easy stroll from almost anywhere in Kota Kinabalu city.
Protected by a gated fence, the Atkinson Clock Tower can be visited for free any time of the day, and is brightly lit at night.
Asok –
That such a historic structure has to stand alone to one side, forgotten and clearly neglected, is a pity. Why not fix the parking lot, establish a nice cafe and celebrate the history of the oldest building that has stood sentinel over the city for over a century?