Posts In: Uncategorized

Restoration of Copper Dials at St Mark’s Church, Fairfield

November 20, 2023 Uncategorized

We are pleased to announce the successful completion of the restoration project for the copper dial at St. Mark’s Church in Fairfield. Steering the refurbishment with a keen eye has been our Complex Projects Manager Martin Butchers.   Embarking on this journey, a careful examination revealed the copper dial’s gentle dislodgment by the wind. The original attachment, featuring traditional wooden plugs and slotted screws, had weathered over the years, leading to instability. The restoration unfolded as a process, bringing the dial back to its original black colour, adorned with gold leaf detailing and hands. Our team were able replaced the previous clock…

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Bringing Joy to Bradford on Avon’s Christ Church Community

November 15, 2023 Uncategorized

Introduction: In a celebration of heritage and community, residents of Bradford on Avon are enjoying the return of their clock to Christ Church, following an extensive £16,000 repair and restoration endeavor. The clock’s newly regilded hands and dial, perched atop the Grade II listed Christ Church spire, were reinstalled in October, marking a significant milestone 160 years after their initial installation. A Special Two-Day Celebration: The restoration of the Christ Church clock was celebrated with a special two-day event that drew in over a hundred enthusiastic visitors. Among those in attendance were three classes from the nearby Christ Church Primary…

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140 Year Old Town Hall Clock Starts It Restoration Journey

November 7, 2023 Uncategorized

An iconic clock that has stood out on the Dover skyline for 140 years is to be restored as part of the £10.5 million reawakening of the Maison Dieu (Dover Town Hall). The clock was carefully removed from the building today (6 November 2023) for the first time since 1902 and is being transported to our Derby Clockworks.  The restoration will see the clock repaired to full working order, including restoring the lighting so that the clock can be seen day and night for generations to come. The Maison Dieu tower clock was made in 1883 by E Dent &…

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The Eastgate Clock – A Joyce of Whitchurch Classic

November 1, 2023 Uncategorized

The Eastgate Clock stands as a turret clock positioned above the Eastgate within the historic walls of Chester. With our Clockmakers completing the annual service of the clock last month, we thought we’d share some of this incredible clock’s history: While the initial gate was of Roman origin, the current structure, constructed during the Georgian era, was designed to accommodate coaches. The clock was not incorporated until the Victorian period, commemorating Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee. The Eastgate Clock has served as a significant entrance to the city of Chester since Roman times, functioning as the eastern gateway to the fortress. It…

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

September 7, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

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A PASSION FOR TIME – Duncan Larkin-Jones⁠

August 2, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

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Stonehaven Clock Tower Reopens

July 18, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

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Where you start isn’t necessarily where you end up

July 18, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

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A Loss for the Turret Clock-Making World

July 13, 2023 Uncategorized

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…

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Restoration Work at Carlisle Cathedral

July 10, 2023 Uncategorized

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….

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