Posts In:

British Summer Time Begins

March 22, 2023 Public, Time

Clocks Go Forward It is that time of year again in the UK, when we shift to having one less hour in bed in the mornings, but much more time after work to make the most of increasingly lighter evenings. On Sunday the 26th March the clocks will go forward 1 hour at 1am. While most clocks will of course make this change automatically, for the many mechanically-driven public clocks around the country this alteration will have to be carried out manually in the few days around the change. Our team of clockmaker engineers play a key role in this process, undertaking clock-altering…

Continue Reading

Terharris Clock Comes Full Circle 

March 20, 2023 Traditional

Terharris Library Wall Clock Returns to Derby Works for Restoration Currently in the Finishing Room we have the War Memorial Clock for Treharris Library in Treharris, Merthyr Tydfil – a clock we first made and fitted in 1933 – which has come in for repair and restoration, see photos. (3rd photo taken prior to restoration).⁠ ⁠ In the ‘Smith of Derby: A Journey Through Time’ book of the company’s history, an anecdote is written conveying the difficulty of communication at the time in the 1930s, which references the very same Treharris clock.⁠ ⁠ Chapter Five: On The Road⁠ “Remarkably complete…

Continue Reading

Apprentice Training Continues

March 8, 2023 Personnel

“If you’ve got a problem with a clock one of the best things you can do is take a moment to sit and listen to it, to pay attention and listen closely to its tick. This way you can tell if it is out of beat.” – This Paul tells our Apprentice Clockmakers over coffee.⁠ ⁠ Paul Kilburn came up from Dorset, and the region of clocks he looks after in the South, last week to offer hands on tuition and impart his knowledge to our team of apprentices. Drawing on his extensive experience, Paul has been guiding them through…

Continue Reading

School of Jewellery Employability Fair 2023

March 1, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

Continue Reading