The Clock



General view of clock The quarter striking section of clock

The picture on the left is a general view of the clock frame.

The tower has had two clocks with the present clock fitted 1901. For many years the old clock was stored in the vestry but was eventually (1960s?) moved to Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole. The Museum had it running for all to see but now the clock is in storage.

Both the clocks were driven by manually wound weights.The wieghts required someone to spend 15 minutes winding every three days.
The winding, of the weights, has recently been changed from manual to electrical operation. Prior to the winding change a few tonnes used to hang above the treble ringers head, now only a few kilos hang in the clock chamber.

The clock is split into 3 sections from the left we have the hour striking section then the time and finally the quarter striking control. The picture on the right shows the makers name plate and the quarter striking section. The slotted disk is the striking control. Every 15 minutes the lever at the top is lifted and disk spins until the lever drops in the next slot. On the disk there are 3 sets of slots each set being for an hours worth of quarter chimes. Each hour set has 4 different distances between slots giving an increased strike time from the quarter to the hour chime. In the photograph the clock will have just stuck the half hour. On the left side, of the clock, the hour disc is similar with 11 different distances between slots for striking 2 to 12. Only 11 because at 1 o’clock the lever just lifts, the bell strikes once and then the lerver drops straight back into the slot.

clock weights

Left is a picture of the weights with the new hung in use and some of the old weights stacked against the wall. The wood, on the stacked weights, was the gate between bells 5 and 6 before the frame was strengthened in 2002.