East Hendred Clock and Carillon

Built by John Seymour in 1525, the clock in the tower of St Augustine's Church at East Hendred, Oxfordshire, is one of the oldest clocks in the world in daily use.
It chimes the quarter-hours, strikes the hours and plays "The Angels' Hymn" every three hours.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• clock
• chime
• hendred
• carillon

[charlespappen]

The clock is dated 1525. The best estimate of the date when the tunewheel was added is 1674. Great that people are still watching the video!

[duprie37]

Sorry to crash the party - but the oldest mechanical clock in the world is 160 years older than this, located in Salisbury Cathedral. Also, this clock has been heavily modified from its original design with an anchor escapement. It's not very original at all.

[charlespappen]

We have not claimed this to be the oldest mechanical clock in the world or anywhere else. However, it is running, chiming and striking after 483 years, during which some wonderfully reliable and kind people have wound it every day. The tunewheel has been playing the hymn every 3 hours for about 330 years. I think that we can forgive the upgrade to a recoil escapement and the fitting of a few spare parts over that sort of time.

[Tingilyawen]

Somehow it's very mesmerizing to look at this.

Because it's a complex mechanism that has been playing the tune for almost 500 years now. And a very nice tune by the way.

Does the clock have a face (dial) or is it made for striking and music purposes only?

[charlespappen]

The clock does not have a dial. It chimes the quarter hours, strikes the hours, and plays the Angels' Hymn, "Forth in Thy Name, O Lord, I Go" every three hours. Perhaps not having a hole through the wall to for a shaft to go through to drive hands has helped preserve the clock by keeping the weather out!

[msaxmatt3]

man it would hurt to get hit by one of those flys!

[charlespappen]

It has been done - one of the stalwarts who wound the clock daily for several years took a whack on the nose from the fly on the hour strike countwheel end - not fun, he assures me!

[crazybellringer]

They are called flys. They act as an air brake an they slow down the clock's striking. If there were no flys on the clock then the clock would chime very, very fast.

[ccoraxfan]

I love all the clicking and clattering of complex old clockwork!

[ceredigio]

When was this clock made, and when was the hymn-playing mechanism made?

[Carillonnl]

@duprie37 In the Netherlands in the province North Holland there is a clock from before 1400 from a former cloister in Overijssel and now in the tower in the village Winkel (gem. Niedorp) which is even older than the clock in Salisbury Cathedral.

[irkibby]

where was the claim that this is the oldest mechanical clock in the world?

[nicolaj0154]

you will really get a hit in the head by those big flys.

[gaessu]

Nice video. I like it.

[Cindermakers]

I don't know what it is, but it's not a carillon.

[mesmoland]

Absolutely beautiful and very interesting.