Catthorpe: Clock tower built in 1882 restored in £50k project

The clock tower was originally built in 1882

A 140-year-old clock tower located in the heart of a Leicestershire village has been restored in a £50,000 project.

The tower is the "centrepiece" at Manor Farm in Catthorpe, which currently houses Manor Farm Shop and Farmhouse Kitchen.

The structure was found to have significant defects after the owners noticed it was leaning to one side.

Over the past year, the structure has been restored with all the original fittings retained.

'Our little Big Ben'

First built in 1882, the clock tower has been maintained by the farm's current owners Michael and Susan Grindal over the past 50 years.

In 2021, the family noticed it had more of a lean than normal and initially considered taking it down after finding it had become rotten and rusted.

The clock still has all of the original fittings

However, with help from a building firm in Market Harborough, they restored the village landmark.

Mr and Mrs Grindal's son, Matthew, said: "It's the centrepiece of the village - you can see it from all round the village.

"It's a beautiful bit of architecture - it's our little Big Ben - so we thought we need to look after it. We're really pleased with how it has been done.

"Now it's finished, so many people have come up to us and said they are so glad we have done it."

The clock is now fully functional using a seven-day mechanism, with chimes marking each hour.