The clock was made by John Whitehurst Senior (1766-1834) of Derby – a notable clockmaker – in 1813. Our clock is a particularly rare example of Whitehurst’s work due to its small size.
For the technically minded the clock is a two train chair turret clock consisting of an armchair strike movement with a pin wheel escapement dated 1813 driving out to a 1 x 5 foot diameter cast iron dial with a glass centre. The clock is set to chime on the hour linked to the ninth ringing bell.
The Clock was originally installed in the old Church in 1813 and was moved to St Georges in 1842. The original cost of the Clock was £63.00 which equates to £4,000.00 in today’s money.
Before the restoration and renovations the clock had to be wound weekly by hand; the striking mechanism by 60 turns and the timing mechanism by 27 turns. This equates to the clock having been turned nearly one million turns.
Since 1842 when the clock was installed in the present church, it has been wound and maintained by just five people:
It is quite remarkable that the clock and bells have been maintained and cared for by the Marriott family for 125 years.
The clock has been restored to its best by Smith of Derby and now has modern equipment added to the clock to wind it automatically. The new regulator maintains its accuracy to within one second. These additions will not affect the historic integrity of the valuable timepiece that we are fortunate to have in Ticknall.
The project has been funded by grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Ticknall Parish Council and the Ticknall Preservation and Historical Society.
