Keeping Time in East Chinnock
 

In 1919 voluntary subscriptions from this parish provided a war memorial tablet in the church costing £20 and a clock with two dials, facing West and North, costing £160.

That same clock remains today. It is powered by two weights, each one approximately 125kg. These have to be wound each week by hand from ground level to 37 feet high.

The Clock winders to date have been:

Henry R Hallett from October 1919
George Guppy from October 1950
John Hawkins from January 1975
[Clock out of order 1995 to 1999]
Neville Coe from May 1999
Alan Bailey from June 2005

 

 


The main mechanism of the clock was overhauled by Humphrey Hamilton of Montacute in the Spring of 1999. 

 

At the same time the hands and numerals were gilded by John Burton of East Coker.  The total cost of this work was £1652.

  
Close up after gilding

 In 2000 I carried out repairs to the wooden enclosure of the clock mechanism and found the following names inscribed:-
Sydney Gibbons 1919
S.Shire 1919
C.G. Hallett 1919
J.Andrews
H.Vincent

 


Pete  abseiling 2000

  


 Bruce & yours truly 2001

  


Rick & Keith  2003

 That should have been the end of my tale: however in 2003 our old friend had another seizure. Rain from the sill above the face of the clock had seeped in between the minute shaft and the hour shaft. Out came the sub-mechanism once more. I cleaned the shafts and fitted a lubrication system, (designed by Chris Dixon and myself).  The hands were refitted by Rick Pallister and Keith Lewis using a ‘cherry picker’.
 


50cm rule shows length of hand

  

parts removed

during repairs

  

   

 

 
In December 2009 repairs to the church tower (pointing of the stonework near the clock face) were carried out by “Sally Strachey Historic Conservation” and hopefully will help to prevent further egress of water into the clock mechanism. 
   


photo © Andy Sinclair

  
 At almost 90 years of age (2009) this grand old lady ticks away very nicely and most of the time is taken for granted.       

Neville Coe