Posts In: Restoration

WW1 Clock unveiled at The Devil’s Porridge Museum

November 23, 2020 Remembrance

The Mossband Clock in its new home at The Devil’s Porridge Museum   Smith of Derby are very proud to have recently completed the restoration and installation of the Mossband Clock for the wonderful Devil’s Porridge Museum in Dumfries and Galloway. A clock that we originally manufactured and installed 104 years ago and the only part left of Mossband House, the central headquarters of H.M. Factory Gretna and later used by the MOD. A real local landmark, it is a privilege to have been part of the process to save and rehome this historic clock, now a centrepiece in a…

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St Michael & All Angels Church Dial Refurbishment

April 3, 2020 News

The village of Shirley, Derbyshire is the home to St Michael & All Angels Church. The clock at the Church was installed in 1902 and regularly cared for by Smith of Derby. As part of our work we have recently refurbished and repaired the Churches clock dial, to bring it back to its original fabricated aesthetic. As part of our work we have recently refurbished and repaired the Churches clock dial, to bring it back to its original fabricated aesthetic. The picturesque village situated in the countryside in Derbyshire dates-back to the middle ages and is very well known for…

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NewsTime

July 16, 2019 Uncategorized

As summer reaches its height and children across the UK prepare to finish school for another year, there is no slowing down for the Smith of Derby team as we continue our hard work to keep the worlds time ticking! The last few weeks has seen another new team member join our famous company and more international work commence. New Team Member We are delighted to confirm the start of our next apprentice! It seems strange to write the word ‘apprentice’ when introducing our latest new member of the team. Jason Budd is a highly qualified IRATA rope access trained…

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Hythe Projecting Clock

May 29, 2019 News

Hythe Town Hall has a prominent projecting clock as part of the building facade.  Originally built in 1974, the Town Hall was a Guildhall but now houses Hythe Town council offices. In early 2019 Smith of Derby were commissioned to complete the clock restoration, ensuring it’s a focal point of Hythe for many years to follow.   The clock was installed Circa 1890 when many projecting clocks of a similar design were installed. This trend was because of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee, which was celebrated in 1887, as many locations chose to have a commemorative projecting clock. After many years…

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Crayford Clock Tower

May 23, 2019 Uncategorized

At the heart of Crayford is a prominent clock tower which has recently gone through a full restoration programme, including the clock dials and hands. Smith of Derby worked alongside the main contractor to ensure the best possible outcome for the clock element of the work. The clock tower was originally built in 1902 at the gates of the Maxim Nordenfeldt Gun and Ammunition Factory which was later taken over by the Vickers Company, who focused on building military aeroplanes and armaments. The tower became a prominent feature of the factory and the town of Crayford until the factory closed in…

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Emmanual Church Restoration Project

April 16, 2019 Church, News

The three 1.2m dials which adorn the clock tower at Emmanual Church, Shelley, were recently restored after first been installed over eighty years ago. The work, which was part of a large project at the Church, was a great success and the dials are now looking ‘as good as new’. The clock at Shelley Church was originally donated by Mr. and Mrs. E Auckland to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary in 1935. The clock and dials were fabricated and installed by local company William Potts of Leeds, who are now part of the Smith of Derby Group. In late 2018 Smith…

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Kinburn Museum Dial Restoration

April 8, 2019 News

The coastal town of St. Andrews in Fife, Scotland, is famous for a number of things and has a museum dedicated to the town’s history. Located in the beautiful Kinburn House, within the grounds of Kinburn Park, the museum is also home to two eye catching clock dials which have recently been restored by Smith of Derby Group member, James Ritchie Clockmakers. Originally built in the Victorian era, Kinburn House has two rombus clock dials adorning one of the towers to be seen by all visiting the museum or park and those staying in the guesthouse. Unfortunately, the dials had…

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Apprentice Clockmakers work with the Museum of Making

March 13, 2019 News

Apprentices at Smith of Derby have been busy restoring Derby’s historic Harrison clock for installation in the new Museum of Making when it re-opens to the public in 2020. First installed at Derby Guildhall in 1842, the Harrison turret clock dates back to the same period. Its movement was designed by clockmaker, James Harrison of Hull (1792-1875), the great-grandnephew of John (Longitude) Harrison (1693-1776) who famously invented the marine chronometer to calculate longitude at sea. Derby’s Harrison clock was retired from the Guildhall in 1976 and moved to the former Industrial Museum as a non-working exhibit where it later went into…

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Woodfield Pavilion Clock and Wind Vane

February 25, 2019 News

The ‘Woodfield Project’ in Tooting, London is focused on re developing an existing recreation ground back to former glory. Part of the project is a small turret, which now features both a clock and wind vane made by Smith of Derby. The pavilion and recreation ground, originally opened in 1933, were created to offer a sports ground and changing facilities for young people in the area.  After many years of use it was taken over by a local school to meet their need for a sporting facility, however in recent years the school have moved on and the Tooting site…

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Saltoun House Sundials Restoration

December 18, 2018 News

Situated between the villages of Pencaitland and East Saltoun lay the historic Saltoun Hall, a 12th century tower and castle, two traditional clock dials along with a sun dial and an astrological dial.  The dials, which are located on the turret at the hall, were in abeyance for several years before James Ritchie Clockmakers restored them and brought them back to working order. Following the removal of the four dials from the East Lothian location, they were transported to the Smith of Derby Group’s base in the midlands for the process to begin. The first step was to strip back the…

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