End of an era for Brian as Cononley's clock turns electric (From Craven Herald)

End of an era for Brian as Cononley's clock turns electric

11:00am Friday 1st February 2013 in News

Brian Nelson’s days as a clock winder have finished after the Cononley Village Institute’s clock officially became electric.

Every Sunday morning for the past 50 years, Mr Nelson, 76, of Main Street, Cononley, has climbed 13 rungs up a ladder in the institute’s clock tower to manually wind the clock.

But those days have now finished after a new electric mechanism was installed in the clock tower last week.

Mr Nelson took on the job of winding the clock in 1963 and in the early days received payment for his efforts.

Although in recent years the work was voluntary, Mr Nelson said it only took 15 minutes out of his day and needed doing just once a week.

He wound the clock 30 times for it to strike and 46 more times for the bell to chime.

He said the clock has been “very, very good” at keeping the time over the past 50 years.

Mr Nelson was very dedicated to his work but admitted: “I won’t miss it, especially climbing up 13 rungs on a ladder to get into the tower. But I could have carried on.”

Cononley parish clerk Stephanie Wheelhouse said it had cost £3,500 to convert the clock to electric and the work was included as part of a massive renovation project being carried out in the institute.

She said having an electric clock meant they were moving on with technology, but she also acknowledged: “We recognised we’d never find another Brian.”

She also said that Mr Nelson’s help may still be required as the electric clock would need to be reset from time to time.