Church Tower Rises From The Ashes

With the scaffold recently removed, the restored clock tower has now been revealed in all its glory. The completion of the tower works will now allow the project contractors, Coniston Ltd to undertake the final section of roof works.

Photo by Chris Foulds, SDPT Trustee.

The most striking aspect of the restored clock tower, is the stone balustrade (seen on the right on a detail from an archive photo of the 1870s) and more clearly below, as part of the John Rennie model.

Photo by Shepheard Epstein Hunter.

The newly rebuilt clock tower is a meticulous reinstatement of the original George Ledwell Taylor Neoclassical design of 1823.

As the below photo shows, before the recent work took place, the tower had iron railings at the top, dating from the repairs after a previous fire in 1881. The Dockyard Trust took the decision at the outset of the project to recreate the original Georgian design, with its stone parapet.

Church prior to restoration in 2020. Photo by Chris Foulds (SDPT Trustee).

Photo by Shepheard Epstein Hunter.

Another original construction element that the Trust felt so important to bring back was the design of the roof. The restored roof, is based on the 1828 design with a hipped roof behind a stone parapet. A new addition will be three circular roof lights designed to allow natural light into the main area of the church.

Photo by Chris Foulds, SDPT Trustee.

Another important feature of the restored clock tower is the repaired clock dials, one on each of the four faces of the tower. These will be powered by a new (electric) motorised mechanism which can be operated remotely. The repair works have been carried out by the iconic firm Smith Of Derby. They have done a fantastic job.

One of the new repaired and repainted clock dials. Photo by Simon Hawkins, SDPT (Glevum Consulting).

A clock dial as damaged by the 2001 fire. Photo by Chris Foulds, (SDPT Trustee).

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