Work is set to get underway on the restoration of Edinburgh's Nelson Monument, which will also include the return to working order of a historic time ball, as part of the city's Twelve Monuments Restoration Project.

The £250,000 scheme, which aims to restore some of the city's most famous statues and monuments, is being carried out by the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) in partnership with Edinburgh World Heritage (EWH), charitable trusts and business donations. Restoration work at the Calton Hill site will include the repair of the 762kg time ball, which was first installed in 1852 by Charles Piazzi Smyth, the second Astronomer Royal of Scotland, but has been out of operation for nearly two years.

The time ball's internal wooden structure will be restored and its gearing mechanism repaired, while the monument's stonework will also be repaired and the top parapet partially rebuilt. Originally designed to allow ships' captains in Leith Docks to set chronometers accurately by observing the dropping of the ball at one o'clock, it is hoped that once the work is completed, the time ball will once again be able to operate on a daily basis.

Funding for the scheme has been raised through a number of sources, including trusts and personal donations, while the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has contributed £50,000. David McDonald, EWH project manager, said: "The Nelson Monument is one of the most prominent buildings in the city, and the one o'clock time ball is a great Edinburgh institution."

Colin McLean, head of HLF Scotland, added: "Not only does the Nelson Monument afford one of the best panoramic views of Edinburgh but it also houses one of the city's more unusual customs in its time ball."