Fiftieth anniversary tour and celebrations, October 2023
As the culmination of well over a year of discussion, planning and negotiating with those responsible for the notable buildings we’d be visiting, forty-five members of the Turret Clock Group assembled in London on the afternoon of Friday 6 October to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the formation of the group in 1973.
The event began at St. Mary at Hill, where members gathered to socialize over light refreshments, before being dispatched in groups for a tour of the facilities at 4LL with James Nye and Helen Chapman, and then to view the clock at the nearby church of St. Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge.
Unusually, access to this tower is via a low doorway on the pavement leading to a staircase in one of the piers supporting the arches on which the tower stands. The arches were originally built to accommodate pedestrian access to the Medieval London Bridge, the pavement of which passed beneath the tower. The bridge was finally replaced in 1831 and subsequent crossings have been constructed a short distance upstream, leaving the tower arches as an architectural and historic curiosity.
The clock at St. Magnus has been much modified since it was made by Langley Bradley in 1709, with subsequent work carried out in 1846 by John Moore & Sons who were probably responsible for conversion to deadbeat escapement, and in the 1920s by Gillett & Johnston. Set in a wrought-iron frame, the going train has been converted to auto-winding and, while the striking is currently disused, it remains in good condition.
Once members had reassembled at St. Mary at Hill the Turret Clock Group AGM took place, the agenda being negotiated with efficiency in order to get to the main presentation of the afternoon.
This was a talk by Keith Scobie-Youngs and Mark Crangle on ‘Ben’s Best Bits!’ foreshadowing one of the following day’s visits. With unique insight into the design, construction and operation of the Great Clock of Westminster gained during the five-year restoration and conservation project, Keith and Mark illustrated their detailed explanations of many of the ‘one-off’ features of the installation with photographs and drawings. Unsurprisingly a lively Q & A session followed to round off the formal part of the day. A sizable number of those present moved on to a nearby restaurant to finish the evening with good food and lively discussion.
Saturday dawned, and with it a heatwave in London. In glorious weather we congregated at the west front of Westminster Abbey before the short walk to the foot of the tower of the adjacent parish church of St. Margaret, Westminster. Special arrangements had been made with the Abbey authorities for us to enter the tower while the church was filling up for a big Prayer Book Society service on the understanding that we’d have to vacate the building before the service began.
The clock at St. Margaret’s has a chequered history. It is a large, three-train movement by Langley Bradley which originally drove four dials, the chapter rings of which were around the circular windows to the tower’s ringing chamber. Details of when it fell into disuse are sketchy, but probably because of the proximity of the Abbey and the Palace of Westminster, it was considered redundant and, at some point in the twentieth century, was removed. All that remained was the faded black and gilt of the dial markings. In the 1980s all four dials were replaced with specially designed sundials – a different design on each face of the tower. The whereabouts of the Bradley clock were unknown, and it wasn’t until around fifteen years ago that it was rediscovered in storage at the Abbey and was subsequently restored by Julian Cosby and put on display.
In 2019 the Abbey authorities decided to have the clock put back into working condition and reinstalled in St. Margaret’s tower. Only one of the sundials was removed and the new dial – finished in blue and gold to match the sundials – is on the north side where it is most visible across Parliament Square. The movement was overhauled and fitted with automatic winding to the going train. While the quarter and striking trains are in working order, the clock runs as a timepiece only, another set of chimes being superfluous in that location!
From St. Margaret’s the group moved to Westminster Abbey where the generous proportions of the tower allowed everyone to ascend at once. Dividing into smaller groups to climb up to the clock gave those waiting the chance to read the peal boards around the walls. These commemorate ringing for many national and state occasions, both happy and sad.
Access to the clock is a little unusual because when the new ring of bells was hung in the tower in 1971, the new bell frame was installed lower in the tower than the original – which remains above it. The bells are now immediately behind the clock dials, luckily enclosed in a wire cage as this heavy ring is always left ‘up’ and has to be circumnavigated to reach the steps down to the clock residing in the space underneath.
This large posted-framed movement was manufactured in 1861 by Thwaites & Reed of Clerkenwell and has three trains, although the ting-tang quarters and hour strike are no longer used. Auto-winding was first introduced in 1961 and has been upgraded since. The Abbey clock is well known for having retained single-handed dials, so it was particularly interesting to see how this was achieved as the movement has a centre arbor turning once an hour, with the requisite step-down gearing being divided between the leading-off and the motion works.
The highlight of our golden jubilee tower tours was, of course, a visit to the now restored-to-new-condition Elizabeth Tower at the Palace of Westminster. Four tours had been booked for Turret Clock Group members throughout the afternoon, allowing ample opportunity to continue exploring the Abbey before or after.
Each group met in Westminster Hall before being escorted around New Palace Yard to the tower. The rooms in the upper half of the tower below the clock are set out with exhibits relating to the history and construction of both the tower and the clock and are thoughtfully also equipped with benches for those in need of a rest! We were lucky to have the parliamentary guides with us to interpret each of the displays, as we were to have palace horologist Ian Westworth, along with our own Vice-Chairman and Treasurer waiting for us at the top – all willing to go into as much detail as possible on matters of the construction, operation, restoration and conservation of the Great Clock.
Our first destination was the clock room itself, which must now appear very much as it did back in 1859. The clock movement itself looks as good as new, having been refinished in what are now known to be the original paint colours. Keith Scobie-Youngs pointed out some of the details he’d talked about the previous afternoon, including how the accurate discharge of the striking is achieved, the original method of switching the dial lighting on and off via a cam behind the 24-hour dial, and the damage to the stone floor when, during the disaster of August 1976, the quarter barrel and great wheel flew out of the frame and across the room. Less terrifying were the indentations marking the places where the clock winders’ boots bore against the floor during the fifty-three years that the quarters and strike were hand-wound.
On the subject of winding, Ian Westworth described the operation of Dent’s complex but ingenious motor-assisted winding unit and was persuaded by at least one of the groups to give a demonstration of winding both the going and the quarters by hand!
Ian and Mark Crangle then escorted us to the belfry where the extent of the tower’s facelift was apparent in the work done to the ironwork of the roof above the bells. Gone is the old cage around the hour bell – replaced with glass panels – and the hammers are now fully-adjustable again with the complete restoration of threaded rods supporting the rubber buffers. All groups had the experience of standing next to Big Ben as the hour struck. Even if you’ve done so before, it’s still probably the most exhilarating experience in the horological world!
Before heading back down the tower there was a chance to walk through the lighting galleries behind each of the massive dials which were the final work of A.W.N. Pugin, who completed the neo-Gothic design virtually on his deathbed. Ian Westworth pointed out the cylindrical counterweights attached to the hour tubes, the friction rollers which support both the hour pipes and the minute rods behind each dial centre, and explained the operation of the new LED lighting installation which mimics the effect of the original gas jets.
After an exciting day of viewing the three clocks of Westminster, fifty-seven of us met at Westminster Hall for a group photo on the steps, before heading through the ‘corridors of power’ to the Cholmondeley Room for welcome drinks before dinner. Once assembled, there were three brief speeches from James Nye, Andy Burdon and Keith Scobie-Youngs. All the staff, including the security people and those in the dining room, were friendly and efficient, and the meal itself was excellent. They were able to cater for all dietary requirements, and we had a most enjoyable and sociable evening. Access to the terrace gave us a photo opportunity and a chance to enjoy the balmy weather. Carriages were at 10:30 and all slept soundly after a most memorable turret clock event.
Logistically this proved one of the most involved tours that the Turret Clock Group has ever arranged, and the committee have thought of little else this year. The TCG Committee would like to thank all those who helped us during the actual event. This was very much appreciated. In particular, thanks are due to Keith Scobie-Youngs and Mark Crangle for negotiating with their contacts at Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster to make all the arrangements to see the clocks there, and to Sue Hines for arranging access to St. Magnus-the-Martyr. Helen Chapman was a great help to Sue with the staging of Friday’s events at St. Mary at Hill, as were James Nye and Chris Andrews with the audio-visual provision. The whole event would not have taken place at all if it wasn’t for the dedication and attention to detail given for months, and across many committee meetings, by our Events Organiser and Treasurer. Without their knowledge and ability we simply wouldn’t have been able to organise – or afford – a celebration of this standard.
Steve Dutfield
Photos: Steve Dutfield and Sue Hines