The community of St Catherine’s Church Montacute has been told by experts that it may be home to one of the oldest working timepieces in the country, following a recent assessment that dates its clock back to the 1400s, writes Charlie Glew.
The clock was originally believed to have been made later, during the 1600s, around the time of the Reformation.
During a restoration assessment last year, the real importance and date of the manufacturing of the clock were revealed to be much more significant.
Mark Lidster, the buildings adviser for the Diocese of Bath and Wells who also acts as the Clocks Adviser to the Diocesan Advisory Committee, concluded that the clock’s mechanism predates many known medieval timepieces.
A fundraising effort is now underway by the church's amazing community to support the clock’s restoration for the church’s plans to create a dedicated exhibition space, featuring audio-visual presentations on its history which will hope to see many visitors coming to the church.
Restoration work started on Thursday, March 20, and a special rededication ceremony is planned for summer 2025.
The service will mark its historical and cultural importance and also honour all the volunteers who have maintained it over the years.
Nic Lacock, churchwarden of St Catherine’s who is leading the project to restore the clock, said: "Discovering the hugely significant antiquity of the Montacute clock has been an incredible experience for everyone.
"Verifying its possible date of manufacture enabled them to piece together that it was most likely made by the village smithy from iron ingots, probably sourced in the hills around Montacute, and that was exciting enough.
"However, the greatest joy of this has been uncovering the human stories behind it.
"From Humphrey Hamlin’s remarkable determination to conserve the clock, the incredible service of Eric Rogers, and the links to the Baker family whose ancestors made the dial in 1815 in the house where Humphrey now lives."
He adds, "The clock has served the village for centuries and it seems only right that it is given the opportunity to tell its own story to the present-day village and the wider world.
"Already the community has got behind our project to share the story in a host of creative ways and I am sure that the clock is at the start of a very exciting new chapter."
The clock has been a central part of Montacute village life maintained by dedicated volunteers, including the late Eric Roger who wound it daily for 67 years, reportedly never taking a holiday to ensure its upkeep.
Eric inherited the duty in 1914 after promising his uncle Maurice, the previous caretaker, he would keep the clock ticking while he went to fight in the Great War, but tragically Maurice never returned.
When Eric retired, local engineer and clock enthusiast Humphrey, who is now at the age of 93, was told that the clock was in a state of ill repair.
His answer was simply "Nonsense," and he asked if he could do it himself in his workshop.
In addition to the clock, restoration efforts have led to the discovery of other historical artefacts, including a set of large iron keys which perhaps date back to Reformation times.
Through the project to celebrate the history of the clock, the church is trying their hardest to strengthen community ties by celebrating the country’s long and rich heritage to give the 4,000 plus annual visitors to the church a chance to see the historic working timepiece, thanks to improved lighting and the installation of a camera feed of the interior of the clock tower.
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