The Clock
The Clock mechanism
The clock mechanism is fitted in the Clock Room. It is a solid frame, with the clock in three parts, in the centre is the minute mechanism, on the right is the quarter hour chimes and on the left the hour chimes.
The winding of the clock was made electric in the 1950's. There are three sets of weights, each with their own motor to wind them up, the motors are mounted on the top of the 1875 clock frame. The centre weight ensures that the pendulum continues to swing, driving the accurate timekeeping. In the centre is a brass disc representing the minutes of the clock, the rod running up the centre of the photo drives the hands of the clock faces through a series of rods and cogs.
Latest Clock Operation: The reality is that a 150 year old engineering masterpiece is temperamental and requires lots of care. Through 2024 & 2025 the clock had some mechanical issues which has required multiple visits by 'Barry the clock repairer' to try and determine the cause and repair. In July 2025, we had a power cut which stops the winding mechanism, which stopped the clock until we could access to restart it. In the hot weather the chiming mechanism seemed to go out of sequence so the quarters and hours were striking incorrectly, then stopping chiming completely, the time on the clock faces remained correct. In August checked the chimes and restarted them, they ran for a while, then went out of sequence again. Throughout this the clock faces have shown the correct time, but took the decision to turn off the chimes and call 'Barry the Clock'. Barry attended on 2nd Oct 2025, and has removed a part of the quarter hour mechanism for workshop repairs. We have been able to restart the hour chimes. On 13th Nov Barry has returned with the repaired part, so by 10am the clock was striking the quarter hours again.
The winding of the clock was made electric in the 1950's. There are three sets of weights, each with their own motor to wind them up, the motors are mounted on the top of the 1875 clock frame. The centre weight ensures that the pendulum continues to swing, driving the accurate timekeeping. In the centre is a brass disc representing the minutes of the clock, the rod running up the centre of the photo drives the hands of the clock faces through a series of rods and cogs.
Latest Clock Operation: The reality is that a 150 year old engineering masterpiece is temperamental and requires lots of care. Through 2024 & 2025 the clock had some mechanical issues which has required multiple visits by 'Barry the clock repairer' to try and determine the cause and repair. In July 2025, we had a power cut which stops the winding mechanism, which stopped the clock until we could access to restart it. In the hot weather the chiming mechanism seemed to go out of sequence so the quarters and hours were striking incorrectly, then stopping chiming completely, the time on the clock faces remained correct. In August checked the chimes and restarted them, they ran for a while, then went out of sequence again. Throughout this the clock faces have shown the correct time, but took the decision to turn off the chimes and call 'Barry the Clock'. Barry attended on 2nd Oct 2025, and has removed a part of the quarter hour mechanism for workshop repairs. We have been able to restart the hour chimes. On 13th Nov Barry has returned with the repaired part, so by 10am the clock was striking the quarter hours again.
Clock History
The current Toddington clock chimes were added in Christmas 1875 as a memorial to a Mrs Munn of Manchester. The cost of the time keeping mechanism was covered by subscription from the inhabitants of Toddington and their friends and the mechanism to chime the quarters and strike the hour was gifted by the then rector, Rev. John Clegg MA and his wife.
There is a plaque on the clock housing in the Clock Room:
There is a plaque on the clock housing in the Clock Room:
This Clock was erected by subscription of the Inhabitants of Toddington and Friends.
The Chimes were added by the Rector and Mrs Clegg
as a memorial to the late Mrs Munn of
Heath Hill Manchester. Christmas 1875
John Clegg, MA Rector
Committee
Edward Abbis David Dunham
George Baker John Green
Robert Barfoot J.A. Pitts
John Dover Abraham Timms
G O Redman Secretary
The tower clock was supplied by Messrs Dent of Cockspur Street, London but was designed and manufactured by Messrs Gillett and Johnston of Croydon who dispatched it on the 15th of May 1875 at a cost of £105. It has an unusual though not unique gravity escapement. In place of the usual two drop arms controlling the escapement, there are three. Two of these are used solely to provide the locking of the 15 tooth escape wheel with the independent third arm provides the impulse to the pendulum. The time period of the pendulum is such as to give 40 beats to the minute.
The quarter chimes, sounding on bells number 2, 3, 4 and 7 with the hour being struck on number 8 the tenor, are arranged to play what are popularly known as Westminster chimes. Strictly speaking they should be called Cambridge chimes. They are founded on a phrase in the opening sympathy of Handel’s air “I know that my redeemer liveth” and were arranged by Dr Crotch for the clock of Gt. St. Mary's, Cambridge in 1793. They were not used at Westminster until 1859.
Originally the clock was purely weight driven, the weights passing down from the clock room through the ringing chamber and choir to ground level, a fall of about 34ft.(10.5m). This necessitated the clock keeper climbing 48 steps to the clock room every two days to wind the weights back up. The apertures where the weights came down are still visible on either side of the arch at the entrance to the choir. However, in the mid 1950's the mechanism was electrified with the weights being rewound by electric motors, the fall of the weights now only about 3ft. (1m). Thus, the clock keeper is now only required to visit the clock room to restart the motors after a power cut or to reset the time from GMT to BST and vice versa.
Now for a piece of statistical trivia: during the 80 odd years that the clock had to be hand wound someone climbed approximately 700,000 steps (nearly 500,000ft) in order to keep the residents of Toddington informed at the correct time.
2nd November 2006
Note: From entry in an old church warden's account book, it would appear that the above may not have been the first clock in Toddington church. The entry reads as follows:
The quarter chimes, sounding on bells number 2, 3, 4 and 7 with the hour being struck on number 8 the tenor, are arranged to play what are popularly known as Westminster chimes. Strictly speaking they should be called Cambridge chimes. They are founded on a phrase in the opening sympathy of Handel’s air “I know that my redeemer liveth” and were arranged by Dr Crotch for the clock of Gt. St. Mary's, Cambridge in 1793. They were not used at Westminster until 1859.
Originally the clock was purely weight driven, the weights passing down from the clock room through the ringing chamber and choir to ground level, a fall of about 34ft.(10.5m). This necessitated the clock keeper climbing 48 steps to the clock room every two days to wind the weights back up. The apertures where the weights came down are still visible on either side of the arch at the entrance to the choir. However, in the mid 1950's the mechanism was electrified with the weights being rewound by electric motors, the fall of the weights now only about 3ft. (1m). Thus, the clock keeper is now only required to visit the clock room to restart the motors after a power cut or to reset the time from GMT to BST and vice versa.
Now for a piece of statistical trivia: during the 80 odd years that the clock had to be hand wound someone climbed approximately 700,000 steps (nearly 500,000ft) in order to keep the residents of Toddington informed at the correct time.
2nd November 2006
Note: From entry in an old church warden's account book, it would appear that the above may not have been the first clock in Toddington church. The entry reads as follows:
Memorandum, April 17, 1759
We the officers and inhabitants, whose hands are hereunto subscribed being met in Easter Vestry do you agree with Francis Hall, Clerk of the said parish, to wind up the Church Chimes and do agree to keep them in repair and to scour the plate and wash the surplice four times in the year and to clean the leads, twice in the year and to ring the bell from time to come at £5 10s per year.
(this is followed by a note)
“We do allow no money for ringing as heretofore have big usual
(signed) William Jeffries, Curate (and twelve others)
The following list reflects expenditure to maintain the clock:
1708 |
Paid Matthew Hall to look after the clock |
16s-00d |
1712 |
Paid Daniel Ha—y clock Maker |
£16-10-00 |
1759 |
Paid Francis Hall, clerk of the parish to wind up the clock and chimes |
|
1763 |
Paid Thomas Gregory, clerk of the parish, for winding up and looking after the clock for the year |
£5-10-00 |
1779 |
Paid a set of bell ropes inc. the saint’s bell rope. A clock rope and rope to the church gate. |
£2-04-06 |
1793 |
Paid Henry Pearson for a new clock rope |
9s-00d |
1794 |
Paid John Farmer clock maker |
11s-06d |
1796 |
Paid John Farmer clock maker |
14s-10d |
1798 |
April Paid John Farmer clock maker ditto |
06s-08d 06s-10d |
1799 |
Paid Gregory, clerk, painting and gilding clock hand |
£10-06-00 |
1801 |
Paid John Farmer for cleaning the clock and fitting new pulleys |
10s-08d |
1802 – 1815 |
John Farmer cleaned the clock each year for |
06s-08d |
The clock was tended to by John Pask for many years, from about 1970 to 2024.
Clock Faces
The clock faces on the north side (left) and south side (right) are different colours. The north side is more blue whereas the south is more black. Nobody is sure why they differ but the predominate theory is that they just weathered differently.
|
|
Each of the two clock faces are driven by a stiff rod that run from the clock mechanism to the reverse of the external clock faces. The internal mechanism of each clock face has some cogs which rotate the minute and hour hands in step.
To balance the weight of each hand there is a counterweight for each hand, so as the hand rotates the weight on the mechanism is even.
Just beneath each of the clock faces is a small door, the purpose of these doors is not known.
The Chimes
The clock triggers a cam drum that rotates two revolutions per hour, triggering the quarter hour chimes using four of the church bells. It should be noted that each ‘peal’ is used twice each hour in different quarter hour chimes.
At ¼ past the hour – Bells chime in sequence 2, 3, 4, 7
At ½ past the hour – Bells chime in sequence 4, 2, 3, 7, 4, 3, 2, 4
At ¼ to the hour – Bells chime in sequence 2, 4, 3, 7, 7, 3, 2, 4, 2, 3, 4, 7
On the hour – Bells chime in sequence 4, 2, 3, 7, 4, 3, 2, 4, 2, 4, 3, 7, 7, 3, 2, 4
The hour chime is triggered by the mechanism at the completion of the Quarter Hour chimes, striking another bell the appropriate number of times.
The Tower
There are the following rooms in the church tower accessed from a winding stair case accessible beside the organ keyboard and from the bell tower external door. The following rooms are above the choir stalls:
- Roof – flag pole & weather vane
- Bells – where the bells are located and externally there is a pair of louvered arches on each side of the church
- Clock Room – where the clock mechanism is located and externally there are clock faces on the north and south faces
- Ringing Chamber – where the bell ringers stand
- Choir – at ground floor level under the tower are the choir stalls
St George of England Parish Church, Church Square, Toddington, Bedfordshire, LU5 6BP.
CONTACT US FACEBOOK
CONTACT US FACEBOOK
