An historic church clock which has been telling villagers the time for more than 120 years is chiming away with refurbished faces thanks to a £10,000 grant.

For almost five centuries St James' Parish Church has stood as the beating heart of the historic, thriving, village of Barton and its clock has marked the passage of time, chiming on the hour and on every quarter hour.

Now, thanks to a £10,000 grant from the Barton and Dunstall Key Trust the clock's faded faces are being restored and residents will again be able to look up and see the time clearly.

Originally installed by Smith of Derby in 1895, the present clock has dials on the north, south and east faces of the church tower.

During the recent restoration the workers used rope access, rather than swathing the church tower with scaffolding, to repaint the faces and re-gild the Roman numerals, outer ring and hands with double thickness English gold leaf.

The faded faces on the clock have been restores thanks to the generous donation

Churchwarden Sue Gent said: “We have been talking about doing this for years and now, thanks to the Key Trust, everyone in our community will be able to clearly read the time again in Barton.”

Julie Skinner, from the Barton and Dunstall Key Trust, said: “We are delighted to help St James' Parochial Church Council in their hour of need and will be pleased to receive applications from other village organisations in Barton and Dunstall for up to £10,000 and individuals of any age who live in our communities for grants of up to £500.”

Details and an application form are available from here and at Barton Library.