St. Michael's parish church Coningsby, Lincolnshire, UK. 15th century church with one handed clock face


Coningsby is overlooked by the tower of its 15th century parish church, St Michael's, with its one-handed clock face - one of the few in the country (although there is another at St Andrew's in Holt, Norfolk). The face is painted directly onto the wall of the tower and was probably installed in the 17th century. It is 16½ feet (5 metres) in diameter and its hand is nearly 9 feet ( metres) long. The driving weights are large stones and its pendulum swings once every two seconds. The pendulum is not attached to the clock but some distance away, linked by a connecting rod. There are three wheels in the timekeeping mechanism, which needs winding once a day. The tower on which the clock face is painted is on the outside of the building. There is an arched passage under the tower which is part of a public footpath from the A153 High Street to the school in School Lane, through the churchyard. There is also a canonical sundial, dating from the 12th century, on the south wall of the church. In 1730, Britain's youngest Poet Laureate, Laurence Eusden, was buried in the church, where he had been Rector. Two decades later another poet, John Dyer, was appointed as Rector and while living in the village completed his poem “The Fleece”. He died there of consumption in 1757 and was buried without memorial in the church chancel.


Size: 5360px × 3560px
Location: High Street, Coningsby, UK
Photo credit: © Avpics / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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