2024 Annual Meeting

Dials and Bells in the Eighteenth Century:
Stories From the Thwaites Daybooks

To be held at St. Mary-at-Hill Church, Lovat Lane, London EC3R 8EE, and online via Zoom, on Saturday 11 May 2024. Please note the change of venue this year.


The company founded by Aynsworth Thwaites in the 1750s, which continued under his son John from 1794, was an important maker of domestic and turret clocks, selling through a wide range of retailers as well as direct to clients. It also carried out significant repair, modification, and maintenance work.

For the last four years, James Nye and Keith Scobie-Youngs have been studying a twenty-year period of the company, from 1780 to 1800, through its extraordinary series of daybooks, now held at Guildhall Library.

In the 2024 AHS Annual Meeting, we will hear some of the stories that have been emerging from the project.

In the first session, Rebecca Martin, who transcribed over 2,500 of the daybook records, will introduce the project, providing an overview of the Thwaites business and offering insights from the transcription process. Next, Lincoln Hamilton will describe the Thwaites clock at London’s Horse Guards and will correct much misinformation in the wiki-sphere. Then, James Nye will look at Woburn Abbey, remodelled in the 1790s by Henry Holland for the Duke of Bedford, where life on the estate was interestingly regulated by a Thwaites clock.

After lunch, we will hold the AHS Annual General Meeting, at the end of which AHS President Patricia Fara will host our annual awards presentation.

The afternoon session will be opened by Peter de Clercq, who will survey the world of the wind dial. These devices, largely unexplored in the horological literature, were nevertheless once in widespread use. Many were made by Thwaites. Next, Chris Pickford will explore the voice of Thwaites’ clocks: the bells that were used to sound out their hours. Finally, Keith Scobie-Youngs will explain the evolution and legacy of the Thwaites turret clock: a machine that he describes as the Ford Model T of public horology.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

Saturday 11 May 2024


MORNING LECTURE SESSION

10.00 Church doors open for in-person attendees. Registration with tea, coffee and biscuits.

10.30 Chair’s introduction

10.35 Rebecca Martin, From the Coalface: Transcription Insights from the Thwaites Daybooks Project

11.10 Lincoln Hamilton, Correcting Time: Debunking Some Myths about the Horse Guards Clock

11.45 James Nye, Woburn Abbey: The Challenge of Keeping Time


12.15 Lunch


AGM SESSION

14.00 Annual General Meeting, followed by presentation of awards by Patricia Fara


AFTERNOON LECTURE SESSION

15.00 Peter de Clercq, Wind Dials

15.35 Chris Pickford, …And Don’t Forget the Clock Bells. Here’s Why…

16.10 Keith Scobie-Youngs, The Ford Model T of Turret Clocks

16.40 Closing words. The church will close at 17.00.


We look forward to welcoming as many members as possible, and guests are also welcome.


Attending in person at St. Mary-at-Hill Church, Lovat Lane, London

The full-day programme charge of £25 for in-person attendees at Lovat Lane covers the cost of buffet lunch and refreshments. To book for the in-person event, please complete this form. You can pay by debit or credit card, or using a PayPal account.

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Seats for in-person attendance at the church are limited and will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re not able to book online, or have any questions, please contact the AHS Secretary, Helen Chapman, on 020 7062 7479 (+44 20 7062 7479 from outside the UK) or secretary@ahsoc.org.

There is no charge for members wishing to attend the AGM only, between 14.00 and 15.00, but please could you let Helen Chapman know in advance.


Attending online via Zoom

There is no charge for attending the full-day event online via Zoom. To book for the online event, please use this link. You will receive a Zoom Webinar link once you have registered.


The AHS reserves the right to alter the published programme as necessary. Please also note that the in-person event is subject to change at any time. We would only do this for matters outside our control. All timings are UK time.