Posts In: Uncategorized

Time Stops for the Queen

October 11, 2022 Uncategorized

“When the two minutes silence was kept you could have heard a pin hit the parade ground floor. It was a very moving day.”⁠ ⁠ The Thwaites & Reid Clock at Horse Guards, St James’ Park, has been under our care for a number of years. Smith of Derby Clockmakers Paul Kilburn and Richard Cox have worked extensively with senior military staff at Horse Guards, with the latter undertaking an important role for the Queen’s funeral procession. Richard stands in front of Horse Guards, with the Thwaites & Reid Clock behind him Here, Richard describes his experience:⁠ “At the request…

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A New Chapter in Hotel Clocks

September 7, 2022 Uncategorized

The clock at the Waldorf Astoria Kuwait is a celebration of time-keeping and a new chapter in the history of hotel clocks.⁠ Situated in the lobby of the newly opened Waldorf Astoria Kuwait, which opened its doors two weeks ago on Wednesday August 24, the clock features a sphere made from eight pieces of compound curved glass panels and brush polished stainless steel parts with a gold PVD finish.⁠ Drawing on the conceptual design initiated by LW Design our Smith of Derby design team worked closely with LW to refine the design and create an iconic time-piece in a contemporary style,…

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Julie Celebrates 20 Years

August 24, 2022 Uncategorized

Our Head of Planning, Julie Breward, this year celebrates 20 years at the company.  Few have a better understanding of the breadth of the work we do around the UK each year and the organisation required to plan several thousand clock visits a year!. For Julie, no two days are the same, since no two clock visits are. Coordinating the rest of the team, her understanding of the intricacies of planning site visits is second-to-none. ⁠ ⁠ Julie knows the strengths of each clockmaker, their experience-level, capabilities and regional locations. She also understands which clocks are more complicated to service…

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St Ives Church Clock, DialWorks and Hand Repair

August 5, 2022 Uncategorized

It’s been a busy last few weeks for our Clockmakers around the country, whose work has included the four-man team heading down to St Ives on the North Coast of Cornwall to repair the dial-works, hands and clock of St Ia Church, the St Ives parish Church. Here in this interview with shots of the clockmakers at work, Churchwarden of St Ia, Stephen Vranch explains the significance of the clock for both the church and the town as a whole, the work done by fellow parishioner Carmel Henry in ensuring the clock is cared for, and details of the fundraising…

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Dial Restoration at the Hull Guildhall

August 2, 2022 Uncategorized

June 2022 Clockmakers Tony, son Ryan and Jason were recently on sight at the Guildhall in Hull to install the four freshly restored Dials, Hands and Dialworks. This dial restoration formed part of our wider work on the Guildhall, including the detailed design, build and install of the famous Hull Time Ball with its Magnetic Drive.  Here, the clockmakers give an overview of the project as they refit the dials before the hands go on:  

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Borrowfield Lodge, Spondon, Derby

June 22, 2022 Uncategorized

Borrowfield Lodge, in Spondon, Derby, formally known as ‘Clock Farm’, has a wealth of history, having been built back in 1840 and listed on the Spondon Historical Society website.  The current owners, Nigel and Dawn Langley, purchased Borrowfield Lodge back on the 15th of December 2017 from a family who had lived there for over 60 years. When Borrowfield was purchased by the Simms family in 1915, the clock was located on one of the barns to the east of the property. Here it remained until the 1980s, when the mews were built and the clock was removed and stored in the…

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National Apprenticeship Week 2022- Opportunity

February 10, 2022 Uncategorized

The opportunities at Smith of Derby span many disciplines, including clockmaking, technical sales, planning and fabrication, to mention just a few. One of our technical sales engineers, Jack Biggin, started as a clockmaking apprentice. Jack says, “I started my Smith of Derby journey in May of 2019, having left school I had tried various jobs but never found my niche. Talking to my grandfather he suggested I found a job that could lead to a long term career.”  Jack went on to say, “I used the National Apprenticeship website and local training provider Learning Unlimited to help me in my…

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National Apprenticeship Week.  7th – 11th February 2022

February 7, 2022 Uncategorized

National Apprenticeship Week.  7th – 11th February 2022 Apprenticeships – Build the Future… National Apprenticeship Week is an opportunity to celebrate the many benefits that apprenticeships bring to employers, individuals, and the wider economy. This year’s theme “Build the Future” is very appropriate in these current times and a reminder of the importance of training and the retention of skills through the generations of our company. Training and apprenticeships are firmly rooted in our family-owned business, whose founder, John Smith 1st, was himself an apprentice to John Whitehurst III – part of the Whitehurst dynasty of clockmakers. Our award-winning apprenticeship programme…

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Safety First… the importance of industry accreditation

January 20, 2022 Uncategorized

As a company we comply with three industry health and safety accreditations, CHAS, Construction Line (Silver) and Safe Contractor SSIP.  This compliance allows peace of mind for our customers showing our commitment to safety across different areas of risk management. Working with an accredited contractors also saves time for those planning and arranging projects, as they will know immediately that health and safety requirements are met.  Ash Buckler, our dedicated Health & Safety Manager (NEBOSH) is also on hand to guide and advise our customers on health & safety legislation and requirements. Planning a clock project and have a health…

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The Coronation Clock Tower, Sheerness, Kent

November 2, 2021 News, Uncategorized

Earlier this month our team began restoration of the Coronation Clock Tower in Sheerness to its former glory. The Grade II listed clock tower was dismantled in sections over three days by engineers Kevin Allen, Martin Butchers, Richard Cox, Dave Longdon and apprentice clockmaker Ethan Burnett. The essential repairs and careful restoration will be completed by our team at our dedicated workshops in Derby. Now the clock is safely in Derby it will undergo repairs to the dial, hands, and clock mechanism. New iron sections will be cast to replace the damaged areas, and the existing paintwork will be removed…

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