Wednesday 14th August 2024  

Quorn Village Artefacts

Swithland Slate Clock Face

The St. Bartholomew's United Parish Church tower dates from the fourteenth century and contains the choir vestry, a full peal of eight bells and a clock. On 23rd November 1964, the old slate clock face dating from the 1700’s was inspected and removed because it had ‘slipped’ by three inches and was found to be extremely unsafe. The two-inch thick slab of slate, which is four and a half feet in diameter and weighs over 200kg, is now flat on the ground in the Churchyard. Less than one year later, in the early hours of 24th October 1965 a terrible fire started in the choir vestry at the foot of the tower and rapidly spread. The nave was almost destroyed. The bell tower suffered severe damage - the bells were cracked and the bell ropes, wooden supports, wheels, and the clock were all severely affected. It would take two years before the Church was fully repaired. The original clock stopped at 1.55am and during the rebuild it was replaced with a new mechanism and face.

Granodiorite Boulder

Although not a sculpture or memorial the boulder stands at the entrance Church View Gardens which was formally the sculpture garden. A plaque provides information about the local geology. The boulder was presented by Tarmac and was quarried at Mountsorrel. Granodiorite is a granite-like rock which contains a high proportion of large pink crystals, giving the stone its characteristic colour.

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