Oxfordshire clock still keeping village on time after 500 years

Summary

Clock still keeping village on time after 500 yearsBBCSt Augustine's clock in East Hendred has been keeping time since Henry VIII was on the throne.Villagers have been celebrating the 500th birthday of the clock in their parish church.The timepiece in East Hendred, near Wantage in rural Oxfordshire, is believed to be one of the oldest clocks in Britain still in its original location. With no clock face or hands, it relies on the church bells in the tower at St Augustine's to ring out the time every quarter hour.The decision to install it in the church was taken when Henry VIII was on the throne, explained the man responsible for St Augustine's bells, Tower Captain Nigel Findley."Imagine the excitement that would have caused then," he said.The clock is linked to a carillon which uses winches and pulleys to drive hammers high above that strike the bells every quarter hour.As well as striking the bells every quarter hour, a carillon resembling the insides of a giant musical box, plays a tune called Angel's Song four times a day, every three hours, starting at 09:00.In 2015, one of the hammers used to strike the six bells came away and fell into the mechanism, jamming it and silencing the clock."It was like missing a friend," said church council secretary Ann Pappenheim. "It's a real part of living in the village."When you're working in the garden, it really does give you a sense of time and I missed it," she added. "Now it's back and it's wonderful."The clock, which was originally built a few miles away in Wantage, underwent a lengthy renovation. A modification also saw the installation of a mechanised winding system, ending the requirement for somebody to climb the narrow, winding staircase each day to the clock room to do the job by hand.With no clock face on the tower the timepiece relies on the church bells to signal the timeThis week, to mark the clock's birthday, people were able to visit the tower to see the mechanism in action.Acting as guide was Simon Gilchris...