Time to count our blessings
This post was written by James Nye
On Thursday 11 July 2024, a band of ten AHS members joined an unusual service conducted by the Rt Revd David Urquhart, assistant curate at St Mary-at-Hill, the church opposite our headquarters at 4 Lovat Lane and the venue where our London Lectures are held. It was for the blessing of the church clock, well-known in the City of London in part owing to the angle at which it sits (with a pronounced downward tilt), now stabilised with recent engineering interventions.
During 2023, the clock was scaffolded for some months to allow for conservation, new steel guyline supports, new leadwork, wood repairs, repainting, regilding, and more.
The church was rebuilt by Christopher Wren following the Great Fire, and survived the Blitz unscathed, but was severely damaged by a fire in 1988, after which its roof and ceiling required rebuilding. The original clock was possibly by John Wise, and the main external support timbers probably date from installation in the early 1670s. The clock gained a minute hand in the mid-1820s, but the original movement was later removed, perhaps in the mid-20th century, when a synchronous drive was installed. This reached the end of its life and was replaced in 2023 as part of the wider restoration project.
I visited the clock when Mark Crangle and Alex Jeffrey were finishing work for the Cumbria Clock Company. This included replacing the motor, fitting a new drive shaft, servicing the motion work and repainting the dials. There is a short film here
As we stood below the clock in the lovely afternoon sun, Revd David treated us to a reflection on the nature of time – the timelessness of much, yet the way there is so little time for anything when our lives are so frantic. He encouraged us to take to time to reflect, before leading a prayer for wisdom in using time, concluding with these words:
May this clock bring order to chaos and haste,
Mark joyous occasions and moments of grace.
Let it remind those who glance at its face
Of time’s precious gift, not a burden to chase.
We joined David and his fellow team members, plus priests from the local area, for a celebration back inside the church, where more photos of the clock restoration are on display – do take a look if you are passing by.
