The clocks go back this weekend, on Sunday at 2am, meaning an extra hour in bed – and on that theme there seems to be a lot of work taking place on clocks around the island.
Work is set to start on the clock tower in Foxdale shortly.
A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care, which surprisingly owns the clock after inheriting it ‘many years ago’, said: ‘The work is being carried out by a private contractor on behalf of the DHSC.
‘Scaffolding has been erected with a view to work getting under way shortly.
‘The overall cost and completion date cannot be accurately determined at this stage as it depends on the extent of the work required.
‘The structure, including the roof timbers and tiles, will be assessed and a decision made on what can be retained/repaired and what needs to be removed and replaced.
‘This work is being undertaken as part of the routine maintenance of the government’s infrastructure.
‘The aim is to address the natural deterioration in a building of this age and to keep it in good condition.’
In Peel, the clock at St German’s Cathedral has not been working for some time but is in the process of being fixed.
A spokesman for the Cathedral in Peel said: ‘The internal fittings of the clock have been taken to Smiths of Derby workshop for them to repair.
‘It is hoped that their staff will be back in the island early to mid November to reinstall these fittings.
‘Once this has been done work will be carried out to repair the clock hands.
‘The aim is to have the clock working, including the chimes, by the end of November at the latest.’
The clock at the Railway Station in Douglas is also undergoing a refurbishment.
A Department of Infrastructure spokesman said: ‘The Douglas Railway Station clock is currently being repaired/refurbished.
‘A temporary clock face has been put in place until the original returns.’
This comes after we reported in last week’s Manx Independent how the face of Castle Rushen’s one-finger clock had been removed for refurbishment. It is hoped to be completed and back in place by the spring.
William Willett is credited with introducing the idea of British Summer Time, also known as Daylight Saving Time, in 1907 in an effort to prevent people from wasting valuable hours of light during summer mornings.
He published a pamphlet called ‘The Waste of Daylight’ in a bid to get people out of bed earlier by changing the nation’s clocks.
Germany adopted his clock-changing concept on April 30, 1916, when the clocks were set forward at 11pm and Britain followed suit less than a month later, on May 21.