Posts In: Public

In for repair: The 1682 Yetminster Parish Clock

May 16, 2023 Church, Heritage, Public

Clockmaker Mitch here talks us through the repair work he’s carried out to the 1682 Clock of St Andrews Church, Yetminster in Dorset.         “It’s been a real challenge this clock, there’s been lots to do on it, but it’s been a great one to work on.”⁠ Mitch describes how:⁠ “The clock was taken out by Paul and Joe and brought into the Works and we’ve carried out a full repair of the clock. ⁠ ⁠ We’ve fitted Sprockets for the new Autowinds to both the Going and the Strike side.⁠ The clock was in a pretty…

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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…

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A Project at the Heart of a Community

February 22, 2021 News, Public, Time

At the end of November last year our team helped to complete an important community led project which highlighted just what can be achieved when people come together and make a collective effort. We were commissioned by Horsefair & Proud, a committee that promotes and champions the Horsefair area of Kidderminster, to create a replica of the original pillar clock which was constructed in 1912 in honour of local businessman & councillor Fred Oakes and stood outside The Old Peacock public house until its removal in 1969. It was hoped that the original would be restored but no record of…

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A restoration project filled with nostalgia for Dundee residents

February 15, 2021 News, Public, Uncategorized

When jeweller Chisholm Hunter opened their Dundee boutique in early 2020 in the vacant H Samuel premises, they promised to restore a clock that holds a special place in the hearts and minds of local residents. The clock projects out above the corner of High Street and Reform Street, which is a famed meeting point for couples on first dates. Unfortunately, it is also a spot where many individuals have been stood up, earning it the nickname of ‘Duffer’s Corner!’ Together with the Dundee Historic Environment Trust, Chisholm Hunter enlisted Smith of Derby to restore the clock to its former…

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Monument representing Switzerland gleams again!

December 4, 2020 Public

We recently completed a refurbishment of the Wappenbaum Canton Tree, one of two monuments in Swiss Court, located between Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus in London. The other being the Swiss Glockenspiel clock which we restored & reengineered as a free standing structure in 2011 and maintain to this day – so we know the area well. The Swiss Glockenspiel that we restored in 2011  The Wappenbaum has been a bit of a different project for our team to work on, one without a clock! Our engineers attended the site and removed, from the tree, the intricately detailed decorative components…

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Clocks provide school exam inspiration!

November 14, 2018 Creative, News, Personnel, Public

Earlier in the year Bruntcliffe Academy, Leeds, approached Potts of Leeds, part of the Smith of Derby group, to provide clock parts for students to use in their upcoming exam. Leeds based clockmaker Mike Tomlinson was delighted to help the school, supplying various parts for students to use in the exams. Following this we had a very kind letter from Richard Hall, the photography teacher at the school: “Each year, just after Christmas, the exam board publishes the final project theme for Britain’s GCSE Art, Design and Photography students. 16-year-old students the length and breadth of the country wait with…

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Craiginches Community Garden Clock

November 9, 2018 News, Public

HM Prison, Craiginches, Aberdeen is a historic site for a number of reasons and that history has not been forgotten in its recent development. As part of the development, James Ritchie & Son clockmakers were approached to prepare the original prison clock dial, so it could be apart of the community garden at the Scottish site. The former prison was the place where Henry John Burnett was hung in 1963, which happened to be the last hanging in Scotland. Following this, the prison faced many problems including over crowding and was closed for good in 2014 as the new HM…

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Clock Changing at Smith of Derby

October 31, 2018 Church, News, Public

As the majority of the nation enjoyed an extra hour in bed, there was no rest for our clockmakers as they began the monumental task of altering public clocks across the UK. Of course, it’s not all public clocks which have to be changed manually, there are more pendulum regulators being used thus meaning less work for our clockmakers when it comes to this time of year. However, it is still a major operation which involves accurate planning and a dedicated team of clockmakers. “The planning for this operation starts in the height of summer as routes are planned and…

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Local clock repair at St Georges Church, Ticknall

October 25, 2018 Church, Heritage, News, Public

We are very proud of the work we undertake and working with local Derbyshire communities will always be special to us because of our history within the local area. These works at Ticknall Village Church were no different, with the church located just 14 miles from our Alfreton Road premises in Derby. Our works at the Church started by removing the original Whitehurst clock and bringing it back to our local Derby workshop for repair. The clock repairs included fitting a new count wheel and pins to the clock which will ensure chiming accuracy on the hour. Along with this,…

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Proud to restore time on Memorial Clock Tower Coalville Leicestershire

October 8, 2018 Church, Heritage, Public, Traditional

A specialist restoration project of the Memorial Clock Tower in Coalville, which included the overhaul of the 4 5ft skeleton dials which occupy the Grade II listed tower on the High Street, Leicestershire. North West Leicestershire District Council approached Smith of Derby, British Clockmaker Tower specialists to inspect the clock and dial works whilst scaffolding was already in place for masonry, steelwork and roofing repairs. The clock tower is an important landmark for the Coalville community and it was an opportune moment to clean and repair the dials. Martin Butchers, Smith of Derby Technical Sales Engineer, carried out the inspection…

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