Shirenewton Clock

Condition level:

Survey reason:

Comments:

Shirenewton memorial Clock was installed in the church tower after The Great war as a memorial to the fallen of that war.  The clock and its strike has ceased to work and, although a grant was previously given, from the War memorial Trust, in the past It is clear that more repair work is needed, to other mechanisms of the clock, to increase the longevity of this war memorial.  Whilst the Shirenewton community is actively trying to raise funds, The community would be exceptionally grateful for any assistance, or advice, from the trust.
 THE REPORT FROM MR STEVE COTTON FROM THE COMPANY CLOCKMAKERS AFTER HE OFFERED TO DO A REPORT ON THE MEMORIAL CLOCK AND HIS REPORT IS BELOW:

THE REPORT from Mr Steve Cotton:

“ I visited the above church yesterday evening to inspect the clock at the invitation of Mike Penney, the tower captain. It has been giving trouble in both the going and striking trains for some time, and the Parish Council (which owns the clock, installed as a war memorial in 1921) have tasked the ringers with arranging quotes for its repair.
 
The clock movement is by Gillett & Co. of Croydon, so obviously dates from some time prior to 1921 and would likely have come back into stock at Gillett & Johnston on their replacing it in its original home with a larger movement - probably quarter-striking.
 
 
The style of the bed casting is pre-1910, and given the then company name it is safe to estimate a date between 1885 and 1890. It is a two-train flatbed clock with Gillett's usual countwheel controlled striking, a double-three-legged gravity escapement and a 1.25 second zinc/iron compensated pendulum rod. The going train drives four approximately four-feet diameter cast iron skeleton dials via three leading-off rods and three sets of bevels - two of which are difficult to examine without removing a panel from the ringing room ceiling. The clock hammer is on the 6th (tenor) bell, and there are two cranks also in void above the ringing room ceiling.

The clock movement is enclosed in a reasonably spacious case in the south-east corner of the room. Unfortunately access into it is extremely tight, with a glazed upward-opening door to the front, slightly narrower than the clock bed. The glazed end of the case also opens and affords better access to the going train. The door into the bottom of the case is very small indeed.
 
The Shirenewton clock was hand wound until 2003, when it was fitted with a pair of CCC autowinders mounted on a fabricated steel frame installed beneath the movement. The drive sprocket for the going train is mounted on the barrel arbor, and that for the striking is on the winding pinion arbor. The weights now hang in the east end of the case, beyond the door access, and are on two-drop lines with top pulleys above ceiling level, and a stop-board crossing above the weight pulleys.

Service records are extant back to 1980 at which time it was in the care of J.B. Joyce of Whitchurch, passing to the Cumbria Clock Company in the late 1990s and, since 2014 Gillett & Johnston. The last recorded service was in 2017.
 
Unsurprisingly the movement is in need of a strip and clean to remove dirt and old oil and grease. Even with the build-up of old lubricant around the pivots, considerable wear is evident in the front and back bushes of the going train second, third and escape arbors. Wear in the strike train is mostly evident in the fly arbor.
 
On arrival the striking weight had grounded, and the winder had been switched off because it had not been working. At some point the overwind switch has been tripped and when this was reset the unit began winding. It successfully stopped at the top limit before tripping the overwind, so the reason for its actuation was not obvious. However, we subsequently discovered that even when the train was running the hammer was not striking the ball. Observing it operating at close quarters at 9pmshowed that it was lifting but its drop was arrested just as it reached the check spring, so I suspect a twisted s-hook on one of the cranks in the ceiling void is preventing the full drop. It was not possible to get it to strike the bell even when manually lifting it beyond its normal operating height.

As ringing can take place both in the ringing room and in the crossing below the tower on the floor of the church, there is a barring-off line at ground level direct to the hammer lever, and also a local barring-off handle mounted on the side of the clock case operating via a crank mounted below the timber clock stand. This looks contemporary with the autowinders, and was found to be loose on its post, with no securing pin. The post itself is mounted on a steel plate which is also not properly secured to the stand, but is quite impossible to get at due to the confines of the access doors.
 
The leading-off rod from the bevels above the ceiling rises in the centre of the bell frame to a crown and bevel set in the centre of the tower mounted in a timber frame suspended from the roof.

At present the clock is only driving two of the dials as when the other two are connected it stops after a short while. All motion work sets would benefit from stripping and cleaning. They show the usual signs of wear but are serviceable and turn without any undue resistance.  All of the drive rods are very pitted and need repainting to provide corrosion protection in the exposed environment, though none are structurally compromised. Three drive through normal T-and-fork joints, but the north dial is offset from the centre of the wall due to the stair turret in the north-west corner, so this is driven at an angle through universal couplings.
 
The likely cause of stoppages is excessive wear in the crown and bevel set. There is clearly a lot of wear in the centre borings of the bevels which have a lot of play in all planes. This means that the weight of the drive rods tends to make the wheels move out of mesh with the crown wheel. There is more backlash than would normally be acceptable and, in the case of the north dial, the mesh is very poor indeed, with the tips of the teeth showing wear because only the top third of each tooth is sufficiently in mesh to transmit the driving torque from the crown wheel. Doubtless the poor angle of mesh is creating extra friction.

The dials are mounted across the tops of the sound openings from the bell chamber and consist of just a chapter ring with no centre.
 
The hour pipes pass through sleeves in the stonework and the two that were easily visible showed a build-up of grit and debris surrounding the pipes.
 
I would suggest that the following work is essential:
•	The clock movement to be dismantled and removed to the workshops for a thorough cleaning and overhaul when the wear in pivot bushes can be addressed.
•	The crown and bevel set from the centre of the bell chamber to be brought in to the workshop for any remedial work needed on the wheel posts, and for the centres of the bevels to be sleeved to ensure that all run correctly at right angles to the crown wheel.
•	All motion work sets should be dismantled as far as is practicable and cleaned in situ.
•	The 2 x bevel sets and 2 x bell cranks in the ringing room ceiling void to be accessed, inspected and cleaned. If any repairs are necessary, a report to be made following inspection.
•	The bell hammer to be stripped and cleaned in-situ, and repainted.
•	Drive rods and hour pipes to be primed and painted to provide ongoing protection from environmental factors.
 
Additional to this work, the following would be desirable:
 
•	All dials approached via rope access from the roof of the tower, and the hands removed.
•	Motion works dismantled and minute rods and hour pipes withdrawn inside the tower.
•	All motion work sets to be cleaned.
•	Minute rods to be cleaned and re-greased.
•	Hour pipes to be cleaned and debris blown through. End bearings to be inspected and repaired if required.
•	Sleeves in stonework to be brushed out to remove grit and debris.
•	All above re-lubricated and reassembled, then hands refitted via rope access”

Survey date:

Is the memorial accessible to the public?

Has the memorial been subject to any accidental or malicious damage in the last five years?

Do you think the site is at significant risk of accidental or malicious damage in the next 2 years?

Are there any known planning applications or issues related to this memorial?