The Clock Tower was constructed by the British. The construction of the Tower began in 1862 and it was completed in 1874. It is designed gothic style by John Gordon, the Municipal Chief Engineer of Amritsar. Unlike some other British buildings, where elements of eastern architecture were sometimes incorporated, the new Clock Tower was designed entirely in the traditional European gothic style with red bricks. The construction of the Clock Tower was disapproved by Sikh devotees because it was disrespecting the Golden Temple with its high ground and gothic architecture. Standing 145 feet in height it completely dominated the sacred space of Darbar Sahib and the surrounding landscape of the Amritsar.