Mountfort designed the clock tower in ca 1858, to be placed on top of the first (wooden) section of the Canterbury Provincial Council Buildings.

[1] The clock was then placed in the stone tower of the Provincial Council Buildings in Armagh Street, and whilst its face could not be seen, the chime could be heard for a distance of 2 miles.

[5] After being stored for 30 years in a council yard in Worcester Street, it was decided that the tower would be used as part of a monument to the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

The tower is further a remarkable example of High Victorian ironwork, and its use as a monument to Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee are an indication of the colonial ties between New Zealand and Britain.

[9] Christchurch City Council began restoration work on the historic clock tower, corner of Montreal and Victoria Streets, in March 2013.

On 22 October 2014, Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel officially unveiled the newly restored Central City landmark,[10] Jubilee Clock Tower, and placed a time capsule on the site for future generations to discover.