Marking time again after 100 years of silence

An ancient clock has been restored, brought back to life and is ticking again exactly 100 years after it stopped.

The turret clock was installed at Godinton House in 1620 by Mr Nicholas Toke but it was removed on August 14, 1914, and given to Canterbury Museum, where it remained untouched in storage for almost a century.

With the support of the museum, experienced clockmaker Tony Russell, who has worked at Godinton House for over 50 years, set about repairing the 400 -year-old timepiece.

On Thursday, August 14, at noon, Mr Russell and Nick Sandford, Godinton estate manager at the House, set the pendulum swinging once again.

Mr Russell said: “It has taken over a year to restore and an awful lot of work was needed to get it back into working order.

“It is remarkable how craftsmen 400 years ago built a clock using simple hand tools to cut cogs and pinions with not much more than blacksmith techniques.

“Bodged Victorian repairs have been removed, worn brass bearings repaired, a chunk missing from the hand carefully pieced in and new weights cast after lots of trial and error.”

Picture: Gary Browne FM3351158 Clockmaker Tony Russell who has repaired the ancient turret clock at Godinton House, Ashford

FM3351175 Godington manager Nick Sanford and estate workers check the time

FM3351164 Estate manager Nick Sanford, Tony and Jennifer Russell and photographer Pat Spearman