Caretaker restores school's historic clock

For most people work is quite literally the last place they would choose to spend their annual leave - but that's exactly where one North Yorkshire caretaker spent his two weeks off.

The clock in Ripon Grammar School's striking clock tower, which dates back to 1889, is not believed to have worked properly for decades.

That was until 32-year-old Matthew Buller became the school's caretaker last October and took it upon himself to restore the 19th Century timepiece.

After "falling in love" with the clock tower, Buller said he made it his mission to hear the bells chime once again.

"It was kind of frustrating to see the clock tower not working," he said.

"[So] I went and had a little peep upstairs to see what it was like, and I wanted to get it fixed."

He began by researching the clock tower and the work the project would entail and, by January, was well under way.

However, he said the project, carried out entirely of his own accord and in his spare time, has been no mean feat.

With no prior experience in clock repairs, he followed an "old manual" he found online, as well as advice from local experts.

He dedicated around 140 hours to restoring the clock and, by August, the bells chimed once again.

All the work was done by hand, Buller said, including breaking down each mechanism into individual parts and cleaning them.

Scaffolding was erected to remove the bells, which were also restored and reassembled.

Buller said: "I guess the clock tower is a luxury item at the school – it doesn't take precedence over students' education budgets.

"So, we set up a fundraiser, which locals kindly donated to, and I used that to finance the project.

"I think the total cost was about £1,100, and I think the daily rate of someone who does this [professionally] is about £400 a day."

He said some days were a struggle, including getting himself out of bed and "dragging" himself to work on a weekend, but hearing the clock's first chime made it all worthwhile.

"It was very exciting. I always doubt my own work, so I was waiting for something to go wrong, but nothing did go wrong."

Buller has already received lots of positive feedback from pupils, teachers and nearby residents, many of whom had never heard the clock chime until now.

He said: "I think the most rewarding thing is not it actually working, but that a lot of other people appreciate it."

Headmaster Jonathan Webb said it is "wonderful" to hear the chimes ringing out once again.

"I feel really pleased that the clock is working again and the chimes are ringing out across the school," he said.

"This is my tenth year as headmaster [and] the chimes have never sounded since I've been here."

Webb said the clock tower was a "really integral part of the school", adding: "It's just absolutely amazing that Matthew, as a relatively new employee in the school, has taken on this project in his own time."

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