Santa Cruz: the clock of the Market Tower

The City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife has restored the old clock of the Mercado Nuestra Señora de África. The work was undertaken by the Historical Heritage department. Today, the clock is on display to the public in the central courtyard of the Recova.

Avelino Moreno, restorer of the Historical Clocks Unit of the CICOP, carried out the repairs. He worked for seven months at the Municipal Museum of Fine Arts.

In addition, the Military Archive of the Canary Islands provided documentation on this type of clock.

The factory Viuda de Murua, in Vitoria, built the clock around 1940. It has a brass face, Arabic numbers, and industrial machinery.

It operates with a weights system that winds it for a day. In addition, it has a bell that rings on the hour and half-hour, with a bell and a spiral wheel system.

After removing the mechanism from the tower, the City Council kept it in the market itself. The restoration had three phases.

First, the restorer completely disassembled the clock to treat each piece. He eliminated dirt, rust, and remnants of dried grease. Then, he inspected all the pieces for wear, deformities, breaks, or missing parts. Finally, he restored the paint layer. He then reassembled, greased, and adjusted the machinery until he got the clock running.