page_title: Clock Tower, Herne Bay
section_title: Clock mechanism and bell
hierarchical_section_title: Clock Tower, Herne Bay / The building / Clock mechanism and bell
caption_attribution_description: Herne Bay Museum, Herne Bay, Kent.1836 John Moore &amp; Sons turret clock mechanism from the Clock Tower, Herne Bay, Kent, England. Replaced in 1971. Note: the mechanism carries the names Peter Morton of Herne Bay and John Greenwood of Canterbury but these were suppliers and they could not have manufactured this very large movement.
context_page_description: The Clock Tower, Herne Bay, is a Grade II listed landmark in Herne Bay, Kent, England. It is believed to be one of the earliest purpose-built, free-standing clock towers in the United Kingdom. It was funded by Mrs Ann Thwaytes, and now serves as a memorial to the fallen of the Second Boer War.
context_section_description: As of 2010, the original 1836 turret clock mechanism by John Moore Junior (later John Moore & Sons) was on display at Herne Bay Museum and Gallery, having been replaced in 1971. The mechanism is sometimes erroneously attributed to Peter Morton of Herne Bay and John Greenwood of Canterbury because their names are engraved on the front, however they were the suppliers and could not have manufactured such a large mechanism. This mechanism is listed in John Moore's 1877 catalogue as: "Herne Bay, Kent. Four 5ft dials, the gift of Mrs Thwaites (sic)." It was installed in the tower on a trestle and encased in a deal box, with doors for access to the winding mechanism. It had extra brass wheels for the striking bell, and was held in an iron frame. The clock had to be wound twice a week, the clock weights providing the stored energy. The pendulum was about 12 feet (3.7 m) long, giving a slow beat of nearly two seconds. The clock winder had to ascend 66 steps, then turn the heavy strike winder 75 times, and the time winder 20 times, using a crank. The bell, made of bell metal, was supplied by Thomas Mears II in 1837, weighs 12 cwt and measures 36 inches (91 cm) high and 46 inches (120 cm) diameter. The bell is still functioning in the Tower.
  The last long-serving clock winder, Louis Morgan, retired in 1964. The Council hired Peter Hutton between 1965 and 1970, then in 1971 installed a synchronous electric hour striking unit: two small black boxes installed by John Smith & Son of Derby.
caption: Turret clock mechanism from the Tower, in Herne Bay Museum
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