Kentish Express Ashford & District
Church chimes restoration
Church leaders hope to raise thousands of pounds to restore a historic clock as its bells have failed to chime for more than two years.
The Rev John MacKenzie wants to collect £5,000 to fix the timepiece at St Mary’s in Willesborough, which was installed after Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee in 1897. He says the money is needed to buy an automatic lift which could transport weights that power the chimes up the church tower.
Mr MacKenzie said: “It is an amazing piece of Victorian engineering. But two times a week, people had to wind up the weights from the bottom of the church tower to the top to power the chimes, which wasn’t very safe.
“They are really heavy weights and people were getting hernias and back issues trying to do it.
“What we want to do is raise enough money to get an automatic lift system in, which could automatically take the weights up without putting people’s backs out.”
Mr MacKenzie thinks between £4,500 and £5,000 will be needed to fund the mechanism. He said: “The clock itself is going, but the bells do not chime and people have said how they have missed that.
“The chimes are a much missed part of Willesborough history – and they haven’t been going for two-and-a-half years.
“We would hope that the local community would support this and see the value and worth in keeping this clock going.”
If you would like to support the appeal, call the church on 01233 624064.