It’s Thirteen O’Clock
Our usual clock face is numbered 1 to 12 and the hands go round it twice a day
from 12am (midnight) to 12pm (noon) and to 12am again. Normally at 1am and 1pm such clocks chime once.
But have you ever heard a clock chime thirteen times?
Here is the tale of the clocks that strike 13!
In 1761 the Duke of Bridgewater’s Canal from Worsley to Manchester opened carrying coal from his mines to feed the city. A busy industrial yard sprang up to serve the mines and canal at Worsley, and there was a clock that chimed as any normal clock would do.
One late 18th century day the Duke visited the yard just after 1pm. He noticed a lot of workers had not returned to work after their dinner break. Upon enquiring he was told the men did not hear the 1pm chime due to the noise of the yard, although unsurprisingly they always heard the 12pm chimes to signify the start of their break.
This set the Duke thinking as he was losing productivity in the yard. He decided the clock should strike thirteen times at 1pm to ensure that everybody heard it and would have no excuse not to get back to work. He therefore arranged for a local clockmaker to make a new clock with amended workings accordingly. From then on, the new clock chimed thirteen times at 1pm. This had the desired effect and the Duke was a happy man.
In 1900 the yard moved to Walkden and its associated buildings in Worsley demolished. It was decided to move the clock to the lodge of Worsley New Hall which stood opposite the Court House.
It stayed there until 1924 when the Earl of Ellesmere had to sell the Worsley Estates and the clock was moved to Bridgewater House in London where it was stored in the cellars.
In 1946 to mark the Centenary of St. Mark’s Church in Worsley the Earl had the clock installed in the clock tower.
There were two other local clocks that chimed thirteen in honour of the original.
When the works yard moved from Worsley to Walkden in 1900 a new clock that struck thirteen times was installed in the yard offices. This was dedicated to the wife of the yard inspector, Mrs Bourke and became known as the Lady Bourke Clock. Eventually the offices were demolished and the clock was sold, its whereabouts are now unknown.
In 1976 when the new shopping centre was built in Walkden a new clock in honour of the 13 chimes tradition was installed by the developer. Unfortunately due to rebuilding of the centre this third clock has also now disappeared.
This leaves us with the original clock still chiming 13 times in Worsley Church today.
Ding Dong!
Mark Charnley – Bridgewater Canal Tour Guide
Contact Mark: markwcharnley@gmail.com