Ottery St Mary astronomical clock

History and description

The south transept of the church of St Mary in Ottery St Mary houses the astronomical clock, one of the oldest surviving mechanical clocks in England. It is commonly attributed to Bishop John de Grandisson, who was Bishop of Exeter (1327–69) and adheres to Ptolemaic cosmology with the Earth at the centre of the solar system.

After 30 years of silence, the clock was restored to working condition in 1907 by John James Hall, FRAS of Exeter. The rededication service, on 20 May 1907, was attended by the Bishop of Exeter, Archibald Robertson, who formally set the clock going.