Around three years ago – so 2015 – the clock at St George’s Church, Ticknall, stopped chiming. After several attempts to rectify the problem, it was decided that we needed to seek expert help to solve the issue.
Smith of Derby is a well-known and respected firm of clockmakers, and so we consulted them. We then realised that our clock was an important timepiece, made by John Whitehurst of Derby in 1813. In fact, the founder of Smith of Derby had been apprenticed to John Whitehurst.
The clock was installed in the old church in 1813 at a cost of £63.00. In 1842, when St Georges church was built, the clock was one of the few things to move to the new church, and a new dial was installed. The original dial remains in front of the church.
Remarkably, since 1842, responsibility for the weekly winding of the clock has been undertaken by only five individuals, three of whom were from the Marriott family.
We were advised by Smith of Derby that the clock needed a complete overhaul and restoration – the first in 200 years. They also informed us that the clock could be brought into the 21st century by installing an electric winding mechanism, which would mean that the clock would no longer need to be wound manually, and a regulator that would ensure the clock’s accuracy without compromising the historic integrity of the clock. The estimated cost of this work was around £15,000.00 – funds that the Church did not have.
Our application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a grant was successful, and with further grants from Ticknall Preservation & Historical Society and Ticknall Parish Council, the Church was able to sanction the renovation and restoration of our precious Church Clock.
In June of this year, Peter Marriott wound the clock for the last time by hand, and the clock was dismantled and removed to Smith of Derby. Three months later, the clock was ready to be reinstalled in the bell tower at Ticknall.
Following reinstallation, the clock now strikes on the hour and keeps perfect time, just as it has done for the past 200 years.
