Somerset church clock 'one of the oldest in the country'
The community of St Catherine’s Church, Montacute, has been told by experts that it may be home to one of the oldest working timepieces in the country
The restoration of a Somerset church clock has uncovered its historic significance as one of the oldest in the country.
Experts have been explaining to the community of St Catherine's Church in Montacute that it may be home to one of the oldest working timepieces in the country, follow a recent assessment that dates its clock back to the 1400s.
It was originally thought to have been made in the 1600s, however, Mark Lidster, the Buildings Adviser for the Diocese of Bath and Wells, who is also the Clocks Adviser to the Diocesan Advisory Committee for the Care of Churches, concluded that the clock’s mechanism predates many known medieval timepieces.
We know that a fundraising effort is now underway to support the clock’s restoration and the church’s plans to create a dedicated exhibition space, featuring audio-visual presentations on its history.
Nic Lacock, Churchwarden of St Catherine’s, who leading the project to restore the clock, says, “Discovering the hugely significant antiquity of the Montacute clock has been an incredible experience for me, the church community and the whole of the village.
"Verifying its possible manufacturing date, piecing together that it was in all probability made in the village smithy from iron ingots, probably sourced in the hills around Montacute, was exciting enough.
"However, the greatest joy of this has been uncovering the human stories behind it. Of Humphrey Hamlin’s remarkable determination to conserve the clock, the incredible service of Eric Rogers, and the links to the Baker family whose ancestors made the dial in 1815 in the house where Humphrey now lives.
“The clock has served the village for centuries and it seems only right that it is given the opportunity to tell its own story to the present-day village and the wider world.
"Already the community has come behind our project to share that story in a host of creative ways, and I am sure that the clock is at the start of a very exciting new chapter of its story.”
The clock has been a central part of Montacute village life, maintained by dedicated volunteers, including the late Eric Rogers, who wound it daily for 67 years.
Restoration efforts have revealed other historical artifacts, including a set of large iron keys dating back perhaps to Reformation times.
Through the project to celebrate the history of the clock, the church hopes to strengthen community ties by celebrating the country’s rich heritage and give the 4,000 plus annual visitors to the church a chance to see the historic working timepiece, thanks to improved lighting and the installation of a camera feed of the interior of the clock tower.
Restoration work starts on 20 March 2025, when the clock will be taken down.