The church clock is probably the most important public timekeeper in Uckfield.

The clock was made in 1883 and although on the clock's setting dial it bears the name of a local man, and the word Uckfield, it was, in fact, made by Thwaites and Reed of Clerkenwell in London.  It is typical of their design at this time and very similar to their clock in Knightsbridge Barracks, London. The clock features dials that are unusually placed, being on the out-built mountings on the sides of the spire.  Likewise the clock itself is also unusually mounted because it is above the bell-frame in the belfry and on a level with the base of the spire.

Although constructed in 1883 it is of a particularly good design and the materials and workmanship also also uniformly good in quality.  The clock chimes the Westminster quarters (on each quarter hour) and strikes the hours.

Technical Detail
The clock has a mechanism (or movement) that consists of a flat-bed frame containing three "trains" (or sets of wheels and pinions).  The timekeeping train, which is positioned centrally in the frame, has a deadbeat escapement and 1&1/4 seconds beat pendulum.  The second wheel of the train rotates once every hour and drives a bevel wheel that transmits the drive to the hands of the four external clock dials. Before an automatic system was installed the main wheel of the timekeeping train was fitted with a "maintaining power" (a device that maintains the time of the clock whilst it is being wound.  This used to be manually undertaken twice each week).  This "maintaining power" feature was of the "going ratchet" style invented by the famous horologist John Harrison.

The quarter chiming train (located on the right hand side of the frame) has its chiming-cam barrel mounted above the train on additional frame bars that also carry the levers that operate the chiming hammer draw cables.  A locking-plate mechanism controls the sequence of sounding the quarter bells and the speed of chiming is regulated by a two-vaned fly mechanism.  The (hour) striking train operates a single draw cable to one bell.  The number of strikes is controlled by a locking-plate mechanism similar to the chiming train.  The locking-plate has "locking notches" cut on a flange projecting from the side of the heel by which the locking-plate is driven.

The winding of the timekeeping train weight is carried out via a square ended winding key fitte3d to the barrel spindle.  The winding up of the quarter hour chiming bell weights and the hour striking bell weight is arranged to employ a reduction to ease the effort of winding up the very, very, heavy bell weights.  Along with the clock winding this task used to be carried out by hand twice each week.

The church used to have volunteers to assist with the twice weekly winding of the church clock.

Overhaul
In 2011 the church clock was overhauled.  Here are a few photo's from that time.