First visit to Dr Graham's Homes: Caroline's Diary (Part 1!)Our Minutes Secretary reflects on the amazing campus that's home to our sponsored childrenLike many schools with a long history, Dr Graham’s Homes has plenty of buildings in need of care and attention.
But few restoration projects have generated as many emotions as the McRobert Clock Tower that perches atop Jarvie Hall (the main assembly hall).
For 60 years, the clock was a feature of daily life for pupils and teachers at the Homes. Then, in 1965, a huge earthquake caused it to fall silent…
Until now!
Our friend Anirban Bhattacharyya (AB) – a writer, actor, filmmaker and ex-Chair of the school alumni association, GO – helped assemble a group of experts to bring the clock back to its former glory. Supported by generous donations from the New Zealand Committee, they started working on the project three years ago.
In September this year – just in time for the school’s 126th birthday celebrations – its magnificent Westminster chimes rang out again across the campus.
“When I first saw a video of the chiming clock tower, it was emotional on many fronts,” AB tells us. “At GO meetings, the late George and Thuten la mentioned the clock tower many times. And so in 2023 it became a GO Project thanks to George’s overall wish and the NZ Committee’s funding to see the JH renovated.
“The tower is an important legacy of the school that has been resurrected thanks to the perseverance of GO. We had only heard about the chimes from budda-khunks* every time they reminisced. And now it is alive again for future generations to care for it, and enjoy.”
We asked AB to tell us the story of how it came back from the dead.
* Buddha-khunks = older alumni!
The clock tower sits proudly on top of the school's Jarvie Hall
Writer, actor and filmmaker Anirban is former Chair of GO
Building an iconic monument
The Jarvie Hall was inaugurated in 1906, funded by the legacy of the late Major Jarvie of Bearsdean. The tower was not yet constructed at this point in time due to the lack of funds. It was only a year later that the Georgina McRobert Memorial Tower was completed, named after the late wife of Mr. A McRobert of Cawnpore (Kanpur) (nee Georgina Porter), who funded the tower and the chimes.
Its beautiful chimes could be heard as far as Kalimpong Town. It became a prominent and iconic landmark of the school. What exists today is a much shorter version of the original, taller tower that once existed, because Mother Nature had other plans.
The McRoberts tower in its original form
Silenced by nature
On 12th January 1965, a massive earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale originated near the Sikkim-Nepal-Bengal border and was violently felt throughout North Bengal.
The severe shaking from the 1965 quake fractured the high load-bearing walls of the clock tower and compromised its upper architectural arches. To guarantee the long-term safety of the school children and prevent a catastrophic collapse in future quakes, engineers decided against restoring the tower to its full original height. Instead, they rebuilt and remodeled the tower to a shorter height.
And then over the years, the clock that once rang became silent due to disuse and disrepair.
Resurrecting the famous chimes
In 2023 when the Late George Borthwick from New Zealand began discussing the renovation of the Jarvie Hall, GO began examining the possibility of resurrecting the clock tower. By now it was just a hollow shell, with not even a single piece of the original machinery present.
I was the Chairman of GO in 2023 and I reached out to many people to fund it and also began looking at experts in India who installed clock towers, especially inside heritage structures. There were a few we came across who either were too expensive or only offered manual winding mechanisms.
At GO we discussed whether to opt for the old-fashioned mechanical-winding mechanism, or a modern quartz version which needed less maintenance. And then we came across Precision Clocks & Industries from Odisha, who offered us a bespoke quartz solution.
But this would not have been possible without the funding. Once again, it was the generous and dedicated New Zealand Committee which stepped up. GO is thankful to Kimberlene King and Gary Younger for making this dream a reality.
Precision Clocks and Industries of Odisha designed a GPS-powered clock
A dream realised
For decades, many of us have passed through the portals of DGH wondering what it would have been like to hear this glorious clock tower chime. Now, it is a reality. We at GO have also ensured that the chime is exactly like the original… the Westminster Chime.
The clock we have installed has its own GPS receiver and aerial. And it gets its signal from an orbiting satellite every few seconds, which makes the timekeeping accurate.
GO is thankful to the school administration for allowing us to do the renovation of the Jarvie Hall and the Clock Tower. GO is also thankful to its members who worked behind-the-scenes to make this project come to fruition. GO continues to be committed in its perseverance to support the school in every which way possible, with the help of the OGBs worldwide who have always been there to support and help.
After more than 60 years, DGH and Kalimpong can hear the chimes ring once again.
With gratitude in our hearts for the school that we all grew up in…
Anirban Bhattacharyya
Former Chairman, Go Global Association
1982-1990 Assam / Fraser
Did You Know: What is the 'Westminster Chime'?
The Westminster chime is a famous four-note musical pattern used by traditional clocks to mark the time. Derived from a phrase in Handel's Messiah, it was first played in 1793 at Great St Mary's Church in England. Its original name was the "Cambridge Quarters."
The chime pattern only earned its modern name after the Palace of Westminster (home to Big Ben) adopted the tune in the mid-19th century. The melody builds progressively: playing four notes at a quarter past, eight at half past, twelve at a quarter to, and the full 16-note sequence at the top of the hour, followed by the hour strike.
The Clock Tower by Numbers
1906 – Jarvie Hall is inaugurated following a bequest from Major Jarvie of Bearsden
1907–1908 – Sir Alexander McRobert of Cawnpore gifts the 60ft Georgina McRobert Memorial Tower and its chimes in loving memory of his late wife
1908–1965 – The tower becomes an iconic landmark, marking daily school life with Westminster chimes heard across Deolo Hill and down into Kalimpong town.
12 January 1965 – A 6.1 magnitude earthquake fractures the upper walls, forcing engineers to shorten the structure for safety and silencing the clock
1965–2023 – The clocktower stands as a silent, hollow shell on campus for nearly six decades.
2023 – The Global Old Girls and Boys Association (GO) launches a major resurrection project, funded by the New Zealand Committee.
September 2025: A bespoke, GPS-synchronised quartz mechanism is installed, bringing the authentic Westminster chimes back to life just in time for the school's 126th birthday celebrations.
First visit to Dr Graham's Homes: Caroline's Diary (Part 1!)Our Minutes Secretary reflects on the amazing campus that's home to our sponsored children
