It’s always a pleasure to visit towers other than ones own and many of these have, in addition to bells, a church clock, not generally of great interest to bell ringers. They are there, chime the hours, some the quarters, some get in the way as at Tydd St Mary where a muffled curse is sometimes heard from the tenor ringer as his or her elbow clouts the too proximate clock case. Despite this they are wonderful old pieces of skillfully made machinery, that at St Pauls Fulney being a prime example.
A product of William Potts of Leeds it was installed at a cost of £142.7s 3d and commenced service on October 7th 1885. Weight driven, hand wound, an hour chimer it requires winding at seven day intervals.
Last July after clearing the debris from the bell chamber we noted damage to the chiming hammer. It appears that the tenor on some past date had been rung with the clock hammer in the “on” position, hitting and driving the hammer under the bell and hard up against its sound bow.
Whoever was on the rope must have had quite a shock. However the clock movement is in good condition and with a little lubrication on bearings and escapement, a gentle swing of the pendulum, off it went.
Unfortunately although the movement is serviceable it had not run during the past 10 years, but for what reason?
I think the problem at Fulney is one facing us all, ageing congregations, willing but with the usual problems of age. The time train clock weight must come in at about 100 lbs or so and has to be cranked up some 40 feet every seven days. A lad of Luke’s age could “eat it”, but for aged persons like myself it requires quite an effort.
In short they had no one to ascend the tower and wind the handle on a regular weekly schedule. Luckily their PCC secretary , Jackie Nicholson has a willing and able son, Aron, who has volunteered to do this task.
As for William Potts, his company founded in 1833 ran until 1934 when it was sold to Smiths of Derby. During that time the firm made 510 hour chiming clocks of which that at Fulney is just one example. Long may it continue to tick, tell the time and when the hammer is repaired, sound the hours.
John Bennett