Strip Down Day One

The first evening's work on stripping down the clock started as the Victoria Centre closed at 7:00pm. Two cherry-pickers manouvered into place ready to start work at the top. Photographs were taken to record its condition and three video cameras were set-up ready to record the dismantling.

The Clock Awaits.

The first task was to remove the radial arms and gondolas so that the clock could be reached. The first part was removed was one of the gondolas. They were all found to have a thick layer of grime but were in good condition.

The first piece is removed.

Having removed the three radial arms and their gondolas, the next part to receive attention was the clock. The spire was removed, followed by the four clock faces and then the central cube containing the drive gears.

Removing the clock.

Now for one of the more complicated parts - the Sunflower. Each of the actuating rods was unbolted from ring at the base and their respective petal. Each was tagged with a code number so that they can be re-assembled in the same places. We leave nothing to chance. 

Rods, radial arms and clock removed.

Each of the petals was then removed. The hinge pins were a tight fit and needed some persuasion. This turned out to be a slow process involving liberal application of WD40.

Removing the petals.

Unfortunately the 10:00 noise curfew came into force so work had to stop on the petals with only half of them removed.

Half-way there.

Turning to quieter things the Woodland Orchestra figures were removed and the central Bouquet in its autumn leaf. This is in particularly poor condition and will need a lot of work to get its lustre back.

The Bouquet is removed

As each part is taken of it is tagged and the smaller parts are bagged with their identifying code. Some of these are later replacement bolts and not all are there.

Small parts bagged.

The next part to be removed was the central turntable that supported the Woodland Orchestra along with its electric motor. This was followed by the upper tower sections with the turntable that carried the radial arms.

Removing the turntable.

The Cobweb Water Wheel was the next to go. The replacement bearing on this was poorly designed with the twin bearings too close together. The turning force from the weight of the wheel had tipped and turned the wheel relative to the frame of the clock. There are a number of parts missing so this piece, along with the Bouquet will probably need the most attention to get it back to original condition.

Removing the Cobweb Water Wheel.

The last parts to be removed after a long evening's work were the actuator leavers under the sunflower and the water spout. This particular part is going to offer a challenge as it has be bent over the years to direct the water at a gradually tipping water wheel. The pipe will probably need to be replaced but the shape will be dictated by the relocated wheel.

Parts ready for wrapping.

We are most of the way there. The remaining parts should be simple to remove, with the possible exception of the remaining petals which will be the noisy bit.