Matthew Buller, who joined Ripon Grammar School as caretaker in October 2025, has taken on the intricate task as a labour of love, driven by a deep appreciation for the tower’s history and craftsmanship.
Matthew said:
I’ve always seen the clocktower as the monument of the school, and it’s such a shame the clock has deteriorated over time.
I look forward to bringing back the mechanical heartbeat of the school.
Dated 1889, it’s a fantastic piece of history, let alone architecture, with such exquisite engineering.
I feel passionately that it must be preserved.
It would seem that the special relationship we share with the cathedral also encompasses the clocks.
The RGS mechanism, believed to have last worked properly around 40 to 50 years ago, had fallen into significant disrepair by the time Matthew began working on it in December.
The tower itself was thick with dust, decay and debris, while the bells had oxidised and the delicate workings had become saturated with oil.
Undeterred, he worked through the school holidays, spending hours cleaning the space and studying the complex system.
Matthew said:
Once you understand the type of clock mechanism, it’s almost like a particularly challenging jigsaw puzzle.
Fortunately, it is all mostly intact, and I’ve always been mechanically minded and a lover of problem-solving.
Having studied science engineering at college, much of Matthew’s knowledge has come from independent research and hours spent studying the clock workings.
He has also connected with experts in the field who maintain other historic clocktowers, drawing much inspiration from those at Ripon Cathedral, where he was shown the workings of its clocktower by head verger Charlie Brown.
At the heart of the RGS structure is a flatbed cast iron clock base, powered by a traditional gravity system. Steel cables run over iron pulleys to support three sets of cast iron weights, each weighing around 190kg.
