After a gap of 18 months, the clock at St Mary’s, Carleton, is once again keeping time for the village.

The historic tower clock was designed and built by local man Billy Cryer in 1833 and was once installed in the old church which stood on the site of the present St Mary’s.

It had stopped working because, over the years, three of the teeth had come loose on a vital escape wheel. The mechanism had to be carefully dismantled and the escape wheel taken away for repair.

The clock movement was also thoroughly cleaned and polished before final re-assembly.

And two automatic winding units were installed to save villagers the onerous job of winding the clock every few weeks.

The work cost about £8,000, but thanks to the generosity of villagers, the fundraising efforts of the congregation and the support of the parish council, the old clock is ticking again.