Didn't see your missing word "coast" in earlier posts. Most major ports in the world are on rivers or estuaries, just off the coast, geographically can be included as part of the coastal environment . Thanks for enlightening me.
Inland cities may have installed time balls because of the railway timetables adopting GMT as a standard in the 1840's ish. (Speculation, maybe, makes sense sort of, one day I will google it)
Done a survey of the Norwich region to determine if Norwich was ever viewed as being a port have you?
They go back a long time before that. As I said Portsmouth was the first in this country. A few others get a mention but not the iconic one. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_ball
Positive. However, I've never managed to learn how to read someone's mind and see words not included in statements, despite my age. Shifting sands - mainly on the coast naturally.
Once voted the worst top 20 hit of all time. Produced in 1956 by a bloke called George Martin who went on to better things.