A HISTORIC church clock which has stood in a village tower for nearly a century years has been vandalised for the first time.

St Michael’s Church in Woodham Walter purchased a clock in the days after the end of the First World War to be installed in the church belfry as a memorial to the fallen from the village.

It was hand wound for 60 years by the parish up until the early 1980s, when an electrical winding mechanism was installed to save on hard labour.

Last week, church wardens discovered the winding mechanism had been vandalised and snapped, stopped the clock from working.

As a result of this, the church paid £600 to repair the damage. The discovery of the vandalism also highlighted how major restoration and repair works were needed for the tower and the clock mechanism.

Canon Stephen Carter, Priest in Charge at the church, said: “When we discovered the vandalism to the clock mechanism, we knew it had to be repaired, which costs the church £600, but also realised that the tower and mechanism itself was in a very poor and degraded state, so we are now seeking significant further funds to restore it.

“Because this is the first time any vandalism has happened in the church, we’re also considering many different options for increased security measures in the tower.

“We’ve had some good support from local people, who have come forward to offer help and funds to get the church restored. We don’t know how much it will all cost, but it will be a significant amount.

“The church a very special piece of the village’s history, and many do not want to see it fall into a poor state.”