FVPC minutes 21-09-24

Minutes of the Extraordinary Parish Council Meeting

held on Monday 21 September 2024 at 6.00pm at the Church of St Peter and St Paul, Cattistock

 

Present:

Cattistock                                            Frome St Quintin                     Chilfrome

Cllr B Sennett (BS) (Acting Chair)      Cllr S Stovin (SS)                    Cllr I Mitchell (IM)

Cllr C Ould (CO)                                                                                 Cllr V Kennard (VK)

Cllr W Lashbrook (WL)

Cllr G Browning (GB) (Acting Clerk)

 

Present:

3 members of the Parochial Church Council of St Peter and St Paul (CE, SL, SO)

 

Absent:

Cllr S Palmer (Chair)

Cllr D McCallum

Cllr D Newman

 

 

21/10-1            Welcome from the Acting Chair

 

21/10-2            To receive apologies for absence

Apologies received from:

Cllr S Palmer (Chair)

Cllr D McCallum

Cllr D Newman

 

21/10-3            Purpose of meeting:

To discuss and, if in agreement, approve the grant application submitted to Frome Valley Parish Council (“FVPC”) by the Parochial Church Council for The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Cattistock (“PCC”) for help with funding for specific repair and conservation work relating to the Turret clock.

 

21/10-4            Background information:

The PCC (as Trustees) has an obligation to protect and preserve the heritage of Cattistock’s Grade I listed church and, with reference to the five-year Quinquennial report, the Turret clock has been identified as needing specific repair and conservation work. The unique Turret clock by Dent of London is set in the church tower overlooking the North side of the village. It is part of the Grade I listed Victorian Gothic Revival Tower and Baptistry by father and son architects, Sir George Gilbert Scott and Gilbert Scott Junior, c.1874.

 

21/10-5            Extent of works required:

Due to frequent electricity cuts the clock loses time and chimes do not correspond to the quarters at which stage the Dial Drive has to be manually corrected by a third party. The Cumbria Clock Company has provided a quote to convert the Dial Drive to Stepper Motor Control which will solve this recurring problem. In addition, the clock face needs cleaning, the scroll embellishment needs re-painting black and the hands and ivy design hour marks need re-gilding with 23.75% carat gold leaf.

 

Any work has first to be approved by a faculty from the Diocese Advisory Committee (“DAC”).

 

21/10-6            Estimated cost:

In spring 2024, the Cumbria Clock Company quoted:

 

£8,355+VAT for restoring the dial, plus

£2,922+VAT for the conversion of the dial Drive Unit to Stepper Motor Control

 

Total: £11,277 + VAT

 

Since then, the PCC has been fundraising and applying for grants from various sources but to date has only been successful with its application to the Cattistock Community Fund, which has agreed a grant of £2,000. An application to Church Care was turned down because the 1940 fire which damaged the tower and clock was considered too recent an event.

 

As funds are limited it has been decided that the work should currently be limited to converting the dial drive unit to stepper motor control. The quote may now be out of validity and it is not yet clear whether VAT will be chargeable/reclaimable. It was estimated that a sum of £4,000 should be sufficient to undertake this work and it was therefore suggested that FVPC should provide the top-up necessary to achieve the work, up to £2,000.

 

FVPC Councillors present voted unanimously to approve this.

 

Proposed: Cllr W Lashbrook

Seconded: Cllr V Kennard

 

21/10-7            Other areas of discussion:

  • GB asked if there was any chance that some s.106 monies might be available for the works.

Action: CE to investigate.

 

  • BS brought a photo of the pre-1940 clock face and hands, which melted in the fire and which originally measured 16 feet in diameter and wondered whether it might be possible to reinstate to the original design at some point, noting that the current ‘inner’ clock face that requires painting and re-gilding is as it was pre-1940. At the very least it would be worth checking with the Cumbria Clock Company that their proposed Stepper Motor Control would be able to cope with potentially larger hands in the future. SL agreed to discuss this with them.

 

  • SL mentioned that the PCC plans to try to use the Gilbert Scott connection to open other future possible funding opportunities by approaching, for example, the Victorian Society, to enable further restoration works.

 

Meeting closed at 7.00pm