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The Hogg
Clock Tower (Little Ben)
The
Hogg Clock Tower built between 1894-1895 stands high on a hill above Steamer
Point and was erected to commemorate Brigadier-General
Adam George
Forbes Hogg,
Political Resident and Commander-in-Chief of Aden from
1885-1890.
In January 1999 the British Consul
in Aden appealed for help to restore one of the former
colony's most famous landmarks,
overlooking what was once the busiest port in the
Empire. Known locally as 'Little Ben', due to
its similarity to Big Ben in London, the
19th-century clock suffered badly in the three
tumultuous and often bloody decades since the British
left Aden in 1967.
Little Ben had been ransacked
and vandalised and was lucky to survive when the
socialist president's residence, less than 100 yards
away, was shelled from the sea in 1986, but David Pearce, the Consul General for
Aden, had it surveyed and asked building firms
and specialist clockmakers to prepare detailed plans for
its restoration.
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Hogg Clock Tower in
2007 |
He said: "Not surprisingly, our backers
want to know about Little Ben's history before they
commit themselves to sponsoring the project. Very little
is known locally about it so we are appealing for
information to build up a full picture of its historical
value."
The clock stands on high ground
at Steamer Point, a silent sentinel, overlooking
the Prince of Wales Pier, Sheikh Ahmed Tomb, and The Crescent.
Once a symbol of the British presence in
Aden, Little Ben had lost two of its four clock faces
and all four sets of hands. The clock and tower were repaired in honour of the
Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. |
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