Town Hall Clock - 1875

Hand wound clocks of this type are now rare, most having been converted to electric. The dial on the mechanism gives a reversed image of the minute fingers position on the clock face, important when altering the fingers, or winding the clock.

The functions of the clock are divided into three. 1. Movement of the fingers 2. Chiming the hours 3. Quarter chimes Each function is wound separately by applying the handle and winding the steel cable onto the drum.

On the bottom of each cable are several heavy weights together perhaps 300-500 kilos. The weights are drawn back up shafts that run down the tower walls. It is the force of the number 1 weights descending down the shaft that move the pendulum causing the fingers to move. Each quarter hour the number 3 weights are released cause the fans to spin pulling on the wires and ringing the appropriate chime on the bells above. On the hour the number 2 weights are released turning the fan and ringing out the hour. The clock is wound daily, but can run for up to four days if fully wound.

 

 

 

This site is listed in the British Towns and Villages Encyclopaedia of Great Britain and we can be found in the entry for New Mills