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The Smith of Derby Team Visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral Clock

London, September 6, 2023 – Members from across our clockmaking, sales, planning and management teams came together to tour of some the company’s most significant clocks in London. The highlight of the tour being the visit the St Pauls’ Cathedral to see the 1893 clock made by the then John Smith & Son.     Historical Insights from the Smith of Derby Archives 1286: Historical records indicate the presence of a functioning clock within the old St. Paul’s church. 1667: The catastrophic Great Fire of London resulted in the destruction of the original cathedral. 1709: Langley Bradley of Fenchurch Street…

A PASSION FOR TIME – Duncan Larkin-Jones⁠

We caught up with Duncan, who joined the company a few months ago, and asked him a bit about how he came to have an interest in Horology:⁠ “My interest in horology started when I was a boy. I was drawn to the idea of how we can measure ‘time’, one of the few things in physics, another being gravity, that is irreversible. This interest eventually led me to studying Technical Horology at Hackney Technical College, and an opportunity following this to take up a position on the WOSTEP Course (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Educational Program) in Switzerland. Perhaps…

Stonehaven Clock Tower Reopens

The Stonehaven Clock Tower was closed to visitors due to Covid and was then damaged by Storm Arwen, when its top-floor window was blown out by the high winds. Now it has been upgraded at an estimated cost of £250,000. The clock tower, which dates back to 1790 with later alterations and additions is regarded as a B-listed building. It is thought to be the work of Aberdeen mason James Rhind, built by public subscription and known locally as Old Town Steeple – its two bells date from 1793 and 1887. Councillor Wendy Agnew, chairwoman of the council’s Kincardine and Mearns area…

Where you start isn’t necessarily where you end up

A PASSION FOR TIME – Jack Biggin⁠ ⁠We spoke with Technical Sales Engineer Jack Biggin about his time with the company so far:⁠ “I joined Smiths in May, 2019. I’d been looking on the gov.uk website for apprenticeships and came across a listing by Smith of Derby who were taking on clockmakers. The apprenticeship involved working at Smith of Derby and going to College one day a week over three years. I applied for the job as it looked like a good opportunity to acquire engineering skills with a specific focus, and I’ve stayed because of the people I’ve met…

A Loss for the Turret Clock-Making World

The clock world has, this week, lost an expert in the field of horology, Chris McKay. A fountain of knowledge when it came to turret-clocks, Chris authored a number of books on the subject, including ‘The Turret Clock Keeper’s Handbook’, ‘Big Ben: The Great Clock and Bells at the Palace of Westminster’ and ‘Longitude’s Legacy: James Harrison of Hull 1792-1875’.⁠ ⁠ He served on a number of advisory committees, and was kind enough over the last few years to share his expertise with members of our team and offer tuition to our clockmaker apprentices. As part of this, he oversaw…

Restoration Work at Carlisle Cathedral

Last week was a warm week in Cumbria, which allowed good progress to be made on the dial restoration work at Carlisle ⁠Cathedral – if also meaning the team got a bit warm in the process! ⁠The clock, a Wiliam Potts & Sons of Leeds mechanism, was made in 1899. Work has been carried out by Craig, Jason and Clockmaker-in-training Duncan to the dial and clock mechanism. ⁠ ⁠Craig describes how they replaced the Autowind Units for both the Going and Strike side with the latest AW11 systems, and also installed a PAR (Pendulum Arrest Regulator) device for improving accuracy….

“No two days are the same”⁠ – Thoughts after a year at the company

A PASSION FOR TIME Phil Cockell⁠ We spoke with Clock Engineer Phil Cockell to get an insight into what brought him to clockmaking and how he has found the experience of working in horology since joining the company in April of last year.⁠ ⁠ Phil: “I’ve been working for Smiths for just over a year now. After graduating from University I worked at a Pharmacy where I enjoyed the work, but was looking for something that tied in more with my interests, so I got in touch with Smith of Derby asking if they might have any jobs available. ⁠…

Do you have a clock that is gaining or losing time?

School of Jewellery Employability Fair 2023

We speak with Birmingham BA Horology Students looking to take their next steps in the world of clockmaking Yesterday a couple of us from Smiths headed down to Birmingham for the annual School of Jewellery Employability Fair where we met with students from the BA Horology Course, headed up by Jeremy Hobbins, and heard from the students about the projects they are working on and the horological skills they’ve acquired in the last three years. It was great to experience the energy of the students in the room for various subjects relating to jewellery, and especially those studying horology who are…

A Passion for Time: Kelly Powers

Following a Horology Degree at Birmingham University, Kelly has been working with us at Smith of Derby since July of last year. We asked Kelly about the last 6 months and her time in the turret clockmaking industry after completing her degree. “I’ve been with Smith of Derby for 6 months now. I heard about the role through a LinkedIn post which highlighted the company’s apprenticeship scheme, which I think was during National Apprenticeship week. I sent Jane an email describing the experience I’d acquired and then came for an interview following this. I think what appealed to me about…