Posts In: Mechanical Clock

Apprentice Clockmakers work with the Museum of Making

March 13, 2019 News

Apprentices at Smith of Derby have been busy restoring Derby’s historic Harrison clock for installation in the new Museum of Making when it re-opens to the public in 2020. First installed at Derby Guildhall in 1842, the Harrison turret clock dates back to the same period. Its movement was designed by clockmaker, James Harrison of Hull (1792-1875), the great-grandnephew of John (Longitude) Harrison (1693-1776) who famously invented the marine chronometer to calculate longitude at sea. Derby’s Harrison clock was retired from the Guildhall in 1976 and moved to the former Industrial Museum as a non-working exhibit where it later went into…

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Training Week at Smith of Derby

January 14, 2019 News

Every January a week is put aside for training at Smith of Derby and 2019 has been no different. Last week all of our clockmakers travelled to our Derby works, from their various locations across the UK, to take part in a week of training. The week started with the clockmakers arriving at our Alfreton Road works and unloading their vans so equipment, such as harnesses and other safety apparatus, could be tested by external adjudicators. Following this, all of the clockmakers were given a presentation from Bob Betts on how the week would progress and the importance of this…

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