BBC Repair Shop experts help fix Manchester Town Hall’s clock

The painstaking restoration of Manchester Town Hall’s Victorian clock is to feature in an episode of the BBC television programme Repair Shop.

Expert horologists from Cumbria Clocks are restoring the mechanism – described as the Rolls Royce of clocks – which first chimed on New Year’s Day in 1879.

The work is part of the ongoing £430m restoration of Manchester Town Hall by the city’s council.

Cumbria Clocks is also restoring the four ‘dials’ of the clock face, one of which was cracked by a World War Two bomb explosion, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Renovations of the grade-I listed town hall, on Albert Square, are about £76m over budget.

Manchester City Council’s deputy leader Garry Bridges, who is overseeing the restoration work, said: “As the biggest and most complex heritage project taking place anywhere in the country, we were pleased to welcome Repair Shop On The Road’s experts behind the scenes.

“The crew enjoyed getting an insight into one part of Our Town Hall project, the restoration of the town hall clock, and we’re sure viewers will too.

“The programme showcases the level of skill and painstaking care which is going into every aspect of this once-in-a-lifetime project to repair, restore and partially refurbish Manchester’s iconic town hall.”

You can see the clock being repaired on The Repair Shop on BBC One on Monday 17 February, or on the BBC iPlayer.