Shandon bells ring out after restoration
The bells of St Anne’s rang out last week to mark the formal completion of major restoration works on the historic church.
Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Fergal Dennehy was on hand to ring the bells last Friday.
He said the church was one of Cork’s “most beloved landmarks”.
“It is part of the cultural and social fabric of the city, it is woven into the story of us, it is a symbol of the city, it is part of us. This restoration reminds us of the significance of Shandon to us all,” he said.
The Shandon landmark has been undergoing works since last year.
Repairs to the clock faces, clock mechanism, and the bell supports, which had deteriorated over the years, were carried out by specialist heritage craftspeople, assisted by Cork City Council.
Funding was provided by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (DHLGH) to the tune of €250,000 under the Historic Structures fund. This was supplemented by an additional €340,000.
Specialist advice was sought from a horologist - a clock specialist - structural engineers, conservations architects, specialist conservation joiners, and stone repair contractors.
Scaffolding had to be carefully designed for the church tower to allow access to the four clock faces and for localised external repair to the stonework.
The scaffolding was installed last summer, and was removed last month, revealing the restored clocks and cleaned stonework.
The clock’s famous quirk - the four clock faces showing a slightly different time - has been maintained. The four faces will only show the same time on the hour.
The tower’s stonework was also cleaned, which involved removing vegetation and staining with a specialised hot steam system.
The Select Vestry of St Anne’s secured funding through the DHLGH’s Community Monuments Fund to repair the church bell’s timber support beams.
Finally, the church’s 300 year old doors were also restored, using €36,000 secured from the DHLGH’s Built Heritage Fund, with an extra €10,000 being supplied by St Anne’s.
The work involved reinstatement of missing timber panels, and the conservation and restoration of iron stamp hinges.
Reverend Meghan Farr of St Anne’s said the parishioners were incredibly grateful for all the work done so far.
“We recognise the role we have in conserving and preserving this iconic heritage building in Cork. We know what it means not only to our parishioners but everyone who calls and has called Cork home,” she said.