Tower tours offer a glimpse of history

TOURS of the newly restored clock tower at St Mary’s Church in Hinckley were a ringing success.

Visitors climbed the spiral stairs to see the bellringing chamber, as well as the refurbished clock and carillon.

The rare behind-the-scenes tours were planned to coincide with the clock’s hourly chimes to ensure visitors could see the machinery behind the Westminster chimes in action.

Those going up at noon also got to hear the 225-year-old carillon playing its tune for the day.

The church was delighted to receive £170 in donations over the two days of tours with many visitors keen to know when the next opportunity would arise to see the town’s historic clock in action.

A live video link was screened the church allowing visitors throughout the two days to see the Gillett and Bland clock, installed in 1876, ticking away.

Leading the tours were Colin Bent and Geoff Fuller, who worked on the restoration project.

Colin said: “It’s wonderful we have been able to restore the clock and carillon. “It’s another asset for the town.” Major refurbishments took place in 2016, re-connecting the quarterly hour and hour chimes, renovating the carillon and replacing the four clock faces on the outside of the tower, to the tune of £50,000.

The melody played by the carillon changes daily, with two different tunes ringing out across Hinckley on Sundays.

It was designed by Samuel Deacon, of Barton in the Beans, and operates like a music box, with studs on a rotating mahogany barrel operating levers and hammer attached to the bells.

Much of the barrel’s woodwork is original, and had become covered in moss and dust before it was restored last year.

Deputy Mayor of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Councillor Jan Kirby (Cons, De Montfort) came along for one of the tours.

She presented the vicar of St Mary’s, The Reverend John Whittaker, with a plaque commemorating the council’s funding the project through its community initiative fund.

It provided £10,000 of the funding, the largest single amount that went towards the project.

Left: Cllr Jan Kirby presents Rev John Whittaker with a plaque commemorating council funding for the refurbishment of St Mary’s Church clock tower. Other pictures show the clock’s workings as seen by visitors on a series of tours. Pictures by Nicholas...