" An old pitch-pipe used for starting the tunes was
recently discovered by Mr J. Grant James, vicar of Marske-in-Cleveland.
Hungate Bridge, an iron structure, having made its appearance in 1864, is,
as may be imagined, no ornament to the town.
In November 1851 the weathercock on the spire of the church was blown off,
and in the following year it was replaced.
The restoration in 1878-79 included the very difficult work of renewing
the Norman foundations of the tower, which were quite unable to continue
to support the crushing weight of the spire. Sir Gilbert Scott, who
inspected the tower and was pointed out several of the results of the
unequal strains on the fabric, solemnly warned those concerned not to be
stingy with cement if they wished to save the tower. The advice was taken,
and after the removal of the crushed and rotten stones and many other
repairs the tower and spire were left in a state of greatly increased
security. The framework supporting the bells dated from about 1450, and as
there were no louvres to the windows for a long time, rain and snow must
have been blown in upon the woodwork, for it was found to be entirely
rotten, and it was astonishing that the timbers had not given way under
the great weight of the bells.
[Illustration: THE OLD FIRE-ENGINE AT PICKERING.]
It is an old custom that is still preserved to ring the biggest, or the
"pancake" bell, as it is often called, at eleven in the morning on Shrove
Tuesday.
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