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30
Aug 2020
Time stands still in Kirkby Malzeard
On an August morning in the peaceful, pastoral setting of the St Andrew's churchyard in Kirkby Malzeard, it can feel as if time is standing still - and it is.
With a look up to the tower of the centuries-old parish church, villagers and visitors will see that the hands of time are currently unmoved and have been for more than a week.
Following the failure of a spring which saw its pendulum drop and stop swinging, the clock face froze at 11.38 and 30 seconds on Tuesday, August 18.
The incident came four hours after parish sexton and verger Christopher Slater had checked the church and looked around its grounds, before opening the building for the benefit of regular worshippers and others wishing to make private prayer or simply enjoy the ancient structure.
Mr Slater's daily visits to St Andrew's, where he married his wife Mary 56 years ago, are a labour of love and he has particular reason for ensuring that the clock is keeping good time. In 2003, with the help of family, friends and the local community, he raised £3,000 to pay for the clock to have an electronic mechanism installed.
Mr Slater told the Stray Ferret:
The new mechanism was installed 17 years ago, after the fundraising campaign which saw Mr Slater carrying a sandwich board around Kirkby Malzeard, containing a message calling for support from businesses and his fellow villagers.
He said:
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With the target reached, RF Potts of Derby was appointed to convert the clock from one set by hand, to an electronically-driven timepiece.
The company has carried out regular maintenance since and will be back in Kirkby Malzeard soon to complete the highly specialised work required to get the clock with its hourly chimes working once more.
In the meantime, Mr Slater will keep watch on St Andrew's, carrying out the daily inspections, openings and closings of the building, that have been part of his life for 50 of his 79 years.
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