Smith of Derby
Read...... 'The Smiths of Derby A Journey Through Time'
Author Maxwell Craven
Posted on 06 January, 2012
Chris McKay, MBHI, reviews the book ‘The Smiths of Derby A Journey Through Time’ (author Maxwell Craven) for the 'British Horological Journal', January 2012 edition, ‘Book Reviews’….
‘Anyone who undertakes heavy turret clock work is likely to have encountered a Smith of Derby flatbed movement. As one of the principal companies making turret clocks in the 19th century, Smiths produce thousands of clocks that were installed in churches, town halls, hospitals and the like. Their turret clocks are a familiar sight through the UK and in many countries of the past British Empire. Their distinctive sycamore like design of the hour hands identifies the Smith parentage and echoes their roots in the Whitehurst dynasty.
But a turret clock is a lot more than cast iron and brass and this book by Maxwell Craven wisely makes no attempt to address the hardware. There are no pictures of clock movements, escapements, pendulums or catalogue pages. Instead, the book is all about the company, the family and the staff who worked at the benches to make it all happen. The company activities are mirrored by the need for public clocks to reflect the social systems into which a clock is sold. This book is all about people and if readers approach it with that in mind they will not be disappointed.........for me the best parts are the tales and anecdotes of the staff. The price has got to be very reasonable for this 250 plus pages book when compared with most horological books produced today.’
To read the full article click here.
‘The Smiths of Derby A Journey Through Time’ is due to be available from the end of January 2012.
Author: Maxwell Craven
ISBN: 978-0-9570846-1-2
Price £25 plus £3.50 P & P in the UK
Available from: Smith of Derby Ltd, 112 Alfreton Road, Derby, DE21 4AU
or tel: 01332 257103