Church clock from 1870s undergoing repairs

The present clock was purchased from Bensons of London in 1866, installed in January 1876, and was repaired and the hands regilded in 1897

Work has started to repair a three-faced church clock, which dates back to the 1870s.

Contractors abseiled down the tower at All Saints Church in Thurlaston, Leicestershire, on Monday to remove the hands and dials on three sides, as repairs began.

The clock, installed back in 1876, is being taken down to be repaired and restored by Time Assured, based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire.

Almost £10,000 has been raised to pay for the work by the Thurlaston Carnival Committee, local residents, the parish council and social events at the church.

Philippa England says the clock numbers will be "bright and shiny" once the work is completed

Philippa England, a member of the parochial church council for All Saints Church, said: "All the clock faces when they're taken down are going away to the workshop in Mansfield.

"The actual outside of the clock faces are going to be ground back to the original copper... repainted and then regilded with 24-carat gold paint.

"So all the numbers will be bright and shiny and everybody will be able to see them for a change!"

Thurlaston resident Maggie Wright, said the clock woke her up in the morning

Maggie Wright, from Thurlaston, said: "The church is the centre of the village and so is the clock, everybody looks at the church clock and we need to know what the time is.

"It wakes me up in the morning and everything so we all really rely on it so it'll be great news to have it back and working."

The clock is due to be returned in three to four weeks' time.

Clockmaker Mike Whitehurst said it was "nice to see people appreciating" the clock

Mike Whitehurst, a clockmaker for Time Assured, said: "It's always good to have a crowd and it was great for the kids to come and see what we do.

"You know the clocks are always something that people don't realise [are] in villages.

"People hear them, they see them, but people just drive past them but don't actually realise that they're there, so it's always nice to see people appreciating it."