Parish Church of St Michael's & All Angels (Coningsby)

 church, interesting place

It is overseen by the impressive tower of its 15th century parish church, ‘St Michael's’ with its unique one-handed clock face. One of the few in the country (there is another at St Andrew's in Holt, Norfolk), it is thought to be the largest in the world. The face is painted directly onto the wall of the tower and was probably installed in the 17th century. It is 16.5 feet in diameter and its hand is nearly 9 feet long. The driving weights are large stones and the pendulum is so long that it swings only once every two seconds. The pendulum is not actually attached to the clock; it is some distance away, linked by a long connecting rod. There are only three wheels in the timekeeping mechanism but it keeps excellent time and needs winding once a day. The tower, on which the clock face is painted, is quite unusual in that it is on the outside of the building. There is an arched passage under the tower which is part of a public footpath through the churchyard.
People of Coningsby can tell the time by the clock even though its only got one hand.