THE man responsible for putting the 'tummy' back into the historic clock in Chard's Guildhall building hopes to return it to its rightful home in the spring.

Clock restorer Peter Watkinson expects work on the 170 year-old mechanism to be completed by the end of April.

The machinery, which has powered the clock dials since the early days of Queen Victoria, was removed prior to the Guildhall's extensive renovation in September 1998.

Peter, 52, is based in Chard and has restored clocks for the National Trust and the National Maritime Museum.

He was approached by the Chard Town Council's Guildhall and tourism committee to work on the historic piece of equipment, which was made to celebrate the accession of Queen Victoria on June 29, 1837.

The painstaking restoration process includes cleaning all the clock parts, conserving the original paintwork and servicing the bearings.

After Peter has completed the restoration work, the 200-kilo machinery will then have to be dismantled and transported back to the Guildhall, where it will be reassembled in its original position in the clock tower.

And the clock specialist is looking forward for the landmark mechanism going back where it belongs.

"It's a very significant piece of Chard history which was made for the Guildhall," he said.

"It is important that it goes home."

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