New North Church happens to have a town-owned clock up in our bell tower. In the late nineteenth century, the town decided that knowing the time of day was important, and so took charge of maintaining several strategically-located clocks, three in churches due to the height and visibility of their bell towers (New North Church; the Congregational Church; and the Second Parish Church), and the fourth in what became a schoolhouse and is now a business (Dependable Cleaners in the William Fearing Building). All four clocks survive today but none of them were in workable condition. At the most recent town meeting, a majority of citizens voted to approve twelve Community Preservation Act projects, one of which includes restoring each tower clock.
Of the four clocks approved for renovation, the clock in the New North Church bell tower is the first, beginning in July, 2017. This page documents portions of the project in photographs. You can view HCAM’s video of the process here.
You can hear the bell striking the hour in two videos at the bottom of this page.
JULY 11,2017
Ross Hochstrasser (http://hochstrasserclock.com/) prepares to speak with HCAM
Armature connections to the four external clock faces
Gear detail
‘What the heck is that?’ Oiling the nuts and bolts before removal
Preparing t0 remove the faceplates
‘Got one!’
Ross (l) & David (r): The Team
Ross inspects the bell
July 15,2017
The team before the ascent
First attempt. A longer way than you think!
Got the first hand; going for two
It took a few tries to get the right angle
The first two hands on the ground
Yes, a stepladder was involved
The fourth face
October 22,2017
Check this video of the clock mechanism as the bell strikes 2:00.
You can also check out a video of the ringing bell here.