As time goes by…

Last week, we took down the tower clock at St Mary's in order to access and repair the stone surround. The clock face and hands have gone off to clockmakers Smith of Derby for restoration.

The face is made from copper and was originally black, but the verdigris has come through. The clock face will be stripped back and repainted, and the hands and numerals will be gilded.

The whole process should take around six weeks, and the clock face will be back in position before the scaffolding comes down this summer.

We won't repair the mechanism until later, as first we have to create a safe working environment in the tower. We also need to raise funds for the work. But we thought you'd enjoy a sneak peak of the mechanism!