Moyse’s Hall clock will fall silent for the first time

Stop the clock – but plenty more on chime inside

A town clock whose chimes have heralded a meeting place for nearly 150 years will stop early next week to allow vital safety work to take place.

For 142 years, the historic clock on the front of Moyse’s Hall Museum in Bury St Edmunds town centre has chimed every quarter of an hour night and day. It takes nearly 250 turns to wind and it takes a member of the heritage staff around 20 minutes every Tuesday to do. The staff, who are employed by St Edmundsbury Borough Council, even arrange cover to keep it ticking over during the Christmas holidays when the museum is closed.

However for the first time on record, the clock is being allowed to wind down – and it will chime for the last time on Monday 1 October. The reason is to allow contractors, installing a new fire alarm system, to access the wells underneath the huge and heavy weights that keep the clock ticking. It is anticipated that this work will take several days. Once completed, staff will rewind the clock and the chimes will begin once more.

Cllr Joanna Rayner, Cabinet Member for Leisure and Culture at St Edmundsbury Borough Council said: “The clock is part of the social history of the town centre – many couples over the years have arranged to meet for their first date under the town clock while it is also a regular meeting place for friends. While it is the first time that we know of that the clock has stopped, we can reassure residents that it will soon be back ticking once more – and if you have the time we have plenty of fascinating historical clocks on display in the museum itself.”

The town clock pre-dates the museum. It was bought from Vale and Richardson in Abbeygate Street in 1876. The business expanded into diamonds and jewellery before being taken over by Thurlow Champness which remains in Abbeygate Street to this day. While the clock was bought in 1876, the 12th century building which has served as a workhouse and a police station, didn’t become a museum until 1899.

The museum houses clocks from the Gershom Parkington collection and has recently put an Act of Parliament Clock also known as a Tavern Clock, on display. Although it is not clear where this particular clock originates from, it is labelled with a list of local people who were hanged including Red Barn murderer William Corder in 1828. A book bound in his skin is one of the more unusual items on display in Moyse’s Hall Museum.

For more on the museum visit www.moyseshall.org