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St Andrew's Clock

Clock workings St Andrews 2020St Andrew's Church clock is a beautiful example of an early 19th-Century striking cage clock with a recoil anchor escapement. It was made in Hertford in 1823 at John Briant's Bellfoundry in Parliament Square.

The clock is older than the present tower and spire at St Andrew's and is still wound manually (see details below!).

In early 2023, the clock was dismantled and taken in pieces to Derbyshire for essential restoration work by Smith of Derby. 

Time to Rejoice!Clock celebration 03 06 23

On 3 June 2023, we welcomed back the newly-restored clock after months of repair work had been carried out by Smith of Derby. We also celebrated the clock's 200th Birthday and thanked those who donated and raised funds for the essential work to be done.

Among those to whom we owe thanks are: The Tappenden Trust, Bob Deering, Hertford Town Council, Peter & Hazel Risby, Keith Neat, Peter Ruffles and Helen & Earle from Rossi's Attic. 

 

Alan's Blessing for the Clock

Holy Creator, you who live outside of time,
we ask your blessing upon your gift of time.
Bless this clock which has served this parish for 200 years.
May this marker of time make us aware
of the miracle of each second of life we experience.
May it help us not to miss what is important.
May we be ever free from being clock watchers
and instead become time lovers.
Bless with love our seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks and months;
each season of our lives; our days and nights; our waking and sleeping.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

 


Peter Ruffles explains the clock's weekly manual winding process!

"186 turns of the drums for the wires to bring up the great weights every week... Up a long winding stair and into the ringing chamber, then up a near-vertical ladder and through a trap door. Then breath back before tackling the first winding up of the weights. Clock hands are the easier of the two. The striking drum wires with its weights is much harder. I am no longer a frequent winder. I'm now the deputy's deputy!"
 

Glenys
Hello and welcome to St Andrew's. If you are new, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Planning your Visit

Banner group 1140x320A Warm Hello 

No one belongs here more than you.

We look forward to meeting you! Here's some information so that if you're planning a visit you know beforehand what to expect on a Sunday morning.  We have other pages telling you more About Us, our approach to Faith and our Online services.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our main Sunday Service starting at 10.30am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you find a parking space and can settle in before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team.

Plan your journey:
While, unfortunately, St Andrew's does not have its own carpark, there is a council-run pay and display carpark a short distance along St Andrew Street, to the east of the church; there is a £1.50 flat-rate charge for parking in this carpark on Sundays (though half an hour or less is free).

This is a useful East Herts Council website page for full details of parking in Hertford.

There are single yellow lines outside the church with parking restrictions, but some 30-minute parking bays are situated on the opposite side of the road for short stays (longer on Sundays).

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet towards the back of the church, behind the kitchen.

Our Service

The service will usually begin promptly at 10.30am and will last between 60 and 75 minutes. We enjoy the presence of an excellent choir who help us sing hymns (modern and traditional) as well as provide anthems and special songs through the period of communion. We have a traditional organ but also benefit from music played on the piano and by our band (eg on the Second Sunday of each month when we have an All-Age Service in which our children and young people are fully involved).

Each 10.30am service includes a sermon, prayers and eucharist.

After the service, everyone is invited for coffee and conversation - some like to stay for a quick chat while others remain in the church for a longer time.

Communion

Children and Young People

Children are never too young to come to church. You and your children are very welcome at St Andrew’s. 

We really value worshipping God together as a family, so children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service before being invited to leave for the young people's activities after the first hymn. Junior Church meets in the St Andrew's Centre (our adjoining hall), accessed through the church on Sunday mornings. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy.

The children and young people then return to the main service in time to join the eucharist and, if confirmed, take Holy Communion or, if not, receive a blessing. We offer a little box of raisins to children being blessed at the altar.

There is a Children's Corner in church where you can go at any time. You will find books, toys and drawing materials there.

Toilet and baby-change facilities are located at the back of church, behind the kitchen.

There's more information here: Children and Young People at St Andrew's

Junior Church celebration

Getting Connected


Home Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week. Check out Home Groups on our website and see if there’s one that you could join. Alternatively, speak to a member of the Welcome Team who will give you the information that you need.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team. Please contact Phil in the Church Office.

Get in touch with us
If you have any questions, please do get in touch. You'll find our contact details here.

We hope that you will feel at home at our church.

Group photo at the top of the page taken by Tim Pike