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Sept 2020

Last Updated: 11/09/2020

Ripon

It's time again for celebration in Kirkby Malzeard

by Tim Flanagan

| 13 Sept, 2020

After chiming the hour for 111 years, St Andrew's Church clock fell silent earlier this summer - but has now been returned to full working order.

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The hands of time are moving once more in Kirkby Malzeard after the clock on St Andrew's Parish Church was fixed by a horological specialist.

The village timepiece has been repaired and re-set, after being stuck on 11.38 and 30 seconds since the morning of August 18, when a failed spring caused its pendulum to drop and stop swinging.

Installed in 1909 as part of a major restoration following a fire that destroyed the 12th century church in the previous year, the tower clock has been chiming the hours for 111 years.

An example of Edwardian precision engineering, it was built by William Potts & Sons at their former Cookridge Street Works in Leeds and the company, now part of the Smith of Derby group, has been carrying out an annual inspection and service ever since.

For the past 18 years, much of the maintenance work has been carried out by horological engineer Kevin Ireland - who was on hand to get it working again this week.

He told the Stray Ferret:

"It's a flatbed clock designed for ease of maintenance and features a compensated pendulum made from metals that expand and contract depending upon changes in temperature, to ensure that an even swing is maintained.

"The pendulum is fundamental to accuracy of the time kept and this one also includes gravity escapements - parts of the mechanism that ensure the movement of the hands of the clock are not affected by weather conditions such as high winds."

This same device forms part of the internal workings of the large Ripon Cathedral clock, also installed by Potts.

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Seeing the St Andrew's hands back moving again provided a moment to celebrate for parish sexton and verger Christopher Slater. He has been looking after the clock for half a century and spent 33 of those years climbing the 30 stone steps to the ring room twice each week, to carry out winding duties with a huge metal key.

In 2003, with support from the community, Mr Slater, his wife Mary and daughter Susan, raised the funds for an electronic mechanism to be added, which automatically winds both the clock and its chimes.

That installation was also carried out by Potts. Mr Slater, said:

"On behalf of all who live in Kirkby MaIzeard, I would like to thank Kevin and his colleagues for ensuring that we all know exactly what time it is."

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It's time again for celebration in Kirkby Malzeard

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