The distinctive timepiece which normally juts out from St Martin-le-Grand Church in Coney Street was removed with the help of a crane last November for its biggest overhaul since 1966.
It was originally hoped it would be back in place by the 70th anniversary of the church’s destruction in the “Baedeker” bombing raid of April 1942, and then by the time of The Queen’s visit to the city, but its restoration has been hit by a series of technical delays.
However, churchwarden Andrew Hingston revealed yesterday plans have now been drawn up for the huge bracket to be returned in the early hours of Sunday, September 2, all being well.
He said a street closure and a crane had been booked. The vehicle was so wide even pedestrians would have to squeeze past, so a time had been chosen when there were few people about.
Mr Hingston said Andrew Carter had written the new quarter chimes for the clock, which had not chimed the quarter hour since the raid 70 years ago. He said it had briefly chimed the hour in 1966, but the nightwatchman at the then Yorkshire Evening Press, situated in those days in Coney Street, complained that the noise was keeping him awake and the chimes were switched off.
The latest repairs, costing tens of thousands of pounds, have been needed because of wear and tear, particularly following the harsh weather of December 2010.
The work has been more complex than originally expected and unforeseen problems have arisen, including sickness at the specialist firm carrying out the project, while a wooden representation of Father Time, which looked in good condition from the outside, turned out to be rotten within.
