Before and after: Ancient church clock is restored

Before a team of specialist restorers got to it, this ancient clock was looking rather worn out.

The working clock at St Catherine's Church, in Montacute, Somerset – which dates back around 600 years – will now last for another several hundred years, say the restorers.

It still has a number of its original components, including the outer frame, but the clock was regilded and the dial was replaced with a shiny new one in its traditional colours of blue and gold.

The church said it was "absolutely fantastic" to have the clock back and that the restoration was hoped to bring more visitors to the village.

The church was previously believed to have dated back to the 16th Century but experts put it at around 1400 after looking at the construction, making it one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

Two restorers spent a difficult hour on a cherry picker reinstalling the clock after its makeover.

"It didn't go back the way it came on," said Symon Boyd from Timsbury Clocks near Bath, who has spent eight weeks working on the timepiece.

"Clocks are a work of art and a thing of beauty. What we've produced now will still be running in 300 or 400 years," he added.

Churchwarden Nic Laycock said: "It is a matter of pride that this Somerset treasure has been restored."

St Catherine's now wants to use the clock as a springboard to draw in more visitors.

The clock room in the church tower has been fitted with new lighting and cameras and there are plans for an exhibition.

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