The Northern Section meetings offer a variety of formal lectures and club nights at their meeting hall together with staging exhibitions at local museums, demonstrations of horological conservation and visits to horological places of interest.
The Club Nights and Lectures usually alternate each month with a guest lecturer being invited to give a presentation to the meeting, often with visual aids and exhibits. For the club night a theme is chosen, and members are encouraged to bring items for display, and possibly to say a few words about them.
The meetings are friendly, relaxed and give the opportunity to meet new friends with similar interests, exchange views, ideas, and get help with solving your horological problems. As well as this you relax with refreshments whist your discussions take place.
Our meetings are held on the second Friday of each month at 7:30 for 8:00 pm and carry on until everyone leaves, usually between 10:30 and 11:00 pm. The new venue (from July 2025 onwards) is The Countryside Suite, Winwick Leisure Centre, located at Myddleton Lane, Winwick, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 8LQ.
Visitors and new members are always most welcome.
Northern Section
To be held at ourNEW VENUE of The Countryside Suite, Winwick Leisure Centre, Myddleton Lane, Winwick, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 8LQ at 7.30pm for 8.00pm, unless otherwise stated
Friday 14 November 2025 Lecture: Time Balls & Time Guns by Darlah Thomas
Friday 12 December 2025 Christmas Social with theme of Horological Ephemera
For our October meeting members were invited to give short talks on subjects they found interesting. Two of these are illustrated below.
This is a thirty-nine pipe flute organ clock known as, ‘Der Entenfall’ or ‘The Duck Hunt’. Ignaz Schoepperle (1810-1882) who made the clock in the village of Lenzkirch c.1840, was known as a maker of exceptional musical boxes and organs.
The brass movement is housed behind the dial and immediately above it is one of three the tune playing barrels. Each barrel is marked out with pins and strips to play one of seven tunes as chosen on the tune selector dial (see below).
Each barrel is labelled with the names and numbers of the tunes it plays (right). After having consulted the list on the barrel end (right), the user would turn the pointer on the tune selection dial (left) to the desired number to play that tune.
The flute pipes are located above the clock movement. There is a short YouTube video of the organ clock playing on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbOb2YsuEG8
We were shown three component parts of a Turret Clock Dial Marking Out Tool. This was the main part which enables the chosen number of marks to be made on the dial. All had been designed, made and used for many years by our member, Phil Irvine. The tool can be used either directly onto a dial on a tower or whilst clamped to a bench in the workshop.
This arm can be set to the diameter of dial circles required.
This part is stamped with Phil’s name.
Three photos show Phil using the tool on a clock dial some years ago before current H&S standards came into play.
Manchester Town Hall (September 2025)
Mark Crangle gave a wonderful talk on current work at Manchester Town Hall. Renovation began in January 2020 with the closure of the building which has since been emptied and areas found to have deteriorated over 150 years since the building’s construction are being returned to their original condition using traditional and modern technologies.
Left, the Town Hall as it was c.1895. Right: Today, virtually the whole structure has been encased in scaffolding and waterproofing.
A clock, made and installed by Gillett & Bland in 1877-8, had its strike, chime and going trains removed (except for parts of the chime) for storage and restoration by Cumbria Clocks. The chime train components which remain in place were large and very heavy. Image Credit: Lumen Photography
Each part of the clock was carefully numbered, recorded and wrapped and lowered from the seventh floor of the belfry through the core of the building to the ground floor. Image Credit: Lumen Photography
The 1870s tune-playing machine also made by Gillet & Bland, played a tune at 6,9,12 and 3 o’clock throughout the day and night on 21 bells. A fresh tune played each day for a month and then the sequence began again; or they were exchanged for a new set for the following month. Daily tune playing and selection was controlled by the clock. A new machine was installed in the 1930s. Note: Several different dates can be seen on the mechanism. Some may indicate when major refurbishment was carried out.
One restored set of motion-works ready to be reinstalled. Image Credit: Lumen Photography
The panes of glass in each of the four 16 foot dials were numbered, recorded and removed to storage. Over the years many of the panes had been replaced with different shades of white; it was decided to utilise the best of the old glass between the minute markers and to replace the remainder with modern opal white.
Paint analysis enabled the skeleton dials to be repainted in original colours before reglazing, seen here, took place. Image Credit: Lumen Photography
Once glazing was complete, the motion works were connected to the restored hands on each dial and the motor used to run the clock in recent years was put into service again pending the return of the clock mechanism. Some of the scaffolding was removed enabling the dials to once again to be visible from street level. Image Credit: Lumen Photography
Lancashire Clocks & Watches (August 2025)
A sample of items brought for discussion is shown below.
Movement with Massey 1 escapement from a pocket watch signed Robert Summersgill of Preston, number 470. Loomes records his apprenticeship in 1813 and gives working dates at Fishergate, Preston from 1824-81.
This Express English Lever pocket watch, hallmarked 1899 was made by the Lancashire Watch Company and retailed by JG Graves of Sheffield. This model cost £2-10-0 and was guaranteed for seven years. See The Lancashire Watch Company History and Watches, by JG Platt page 256.
A Lancashire Watch Company example marked Prescot England on the dial and hallmarked 1905. The current owner used its serial number to trace who first possessed this watch; this was a Mr J. Hall of whom nothing more is known. The watch was inherited by the current owner from a relative.
An anonymous Lancashire Screw-head tool was shown. Once an essential item for every apprentice watchmaker, this one was formerly used by watch finisher John Sills. Also in the box was a small container of Watch Jewels from SA Brooks, Northampton Square, London.
This eighteenth century and later double fusee repeating verge table clock was signed by unrecorded maker, N. Houghton of Bolton. The movement has retained its original features including its verge escapement, but the ebonised case and silvered dial are thought to be the result c.1900 alterations.
A wall timepiece by Thomas Whipp and Son of Rochdale was thought to date from 1850-60. Makers of this surname were working in Rochdale from the mid eighteenth century to the end of the nineteenth (Loomes).
A dial and movement of an eight-day longcase clock signed by [John] Houghton, Chorley was dated to the period 1765-1790 by its owner. It stands in a mahogany case of Lancashire styling.
Lastly, an item of news concerning a Lancashire clock. Prior to his unfortunate accident, Jim Arnfield had been busy conserving and re-building a field regulator by James Condliff of Liverpool with Airy’s spring remontoire. This is now working well. Jim has written about this project for Horological Journal, which it is hoped will appear in the September issue. This image was taken prior to any work being undertaken.
Club Night (July 2025)
The July meeting was the first in our new location at Winwick Leisure Centre. Its theme was Carriage Clocks. Here is a selection of items displayed.
A fine anonymous brass repeating carriage clock; its case was engraved with flowing designs to its handle and back. It struck the hours and at the press of a button, would repeat the last hour on a gong. Its pretty original key has survived but its carrying case has been lost and replaced with another.
Another anonymous clock was thought to be French. This had a platform escapement and appeared to have retained its original carrying case.
This clock was signed Japy Frères, Medaille D’Or. The central image = Mignonnette = miniature (name of model) Brevetée S.G.D.G. = a type of unguaranteed French patent Remontoir = remontoire
An eight-day clock signed ‘Bayard’ which was made by Duverdray and Bloquel in the late 1920s had a jewelled lever platform escapement.
A small clock, probably made in the 1980s was signed by Elliott [of] London, but was made in China. It had a traditional platform escapement and panels decorated with putti in rural scenes.
Update:
Our February 2025 meeting was on the theme of horological items relating to letter ‘A’. One member showed one of his items with automata. Another, which couldn’t be shown at that time, was the one below, ie. a bulldog thought to be by the famous French automaton maker Roullet et Decamps. The company was founded in 1865 by Jean Roullet and took the name Roullet et Decamps in 1889, ten years after the marriage of Jean Roullet’s daughter to Ernest Decamps. The company ceased operation in 1995. This example barks and opens and closes its mouth when a cord is pulled.
Club Night (June 2025)
The theme for our June Club Night was Horology from the Netherlands. A selection of items is shown here.
A traditional early 18th Century Dutch Stoelklok. These were popular particularly in the Dutch province of Friesland. They were also known as chair, stool or seat clocks and featured elaborate, often gilded, wooden cases in which the dial and movement sat on a ‘seat’ with arched hood and decorative cresting, sometimes with heraldic elements. This example is unsigned and features an alarm. It is weight and chain driven with a verge, lantern clock type of movement
20th Century reproduction of a traditional Dutch table clock by WUBA (Warmink uhrenbetrieb Almelo). This has its dial Inscribed Warmink. This is a quarter chiming clock playing Westminster chimes on 4 rods and has a 5th rod for striking the hours. The clock shows moon phases in the arch and has a balance wheel escapement.
The above three images of this Dutch musical longcase clock were shown as it is too large and delicate to transport. It is signed F. Bavius, Leuwaarden. The clock has an eight-day movement and 25 hammers which play tunes on thirteen bells. Above the rolling moon is the tune selection arch marked in pairs; tunes play in pairs - a shorter tune at half past and a longer one on the hour. There are two further bells for the hour and half hour strikes. On the 14 inch dial there are day of the week and months of the year apertures, a seconds dial with date aperture and strike/silent and chime/silent selectors. This clock stands almost 100 inches tall.
Books displayed included:
Weight Driven Dutch Clocks and their Japanese Connections, by Ernest L Edwardes; the Northern Section was involved in finishing this book ready for publication following Edward's untimely death.
De Nederlandse Staande Klok, by J Zeeman, and
Nationaal Museum van speelklok pierement – a museum guide. Some of the members had visited this museum so much discussion on its musical clocks followed.
Electrical Horology (April 2025)
The theme for the April meeting was Electrical Horology. All of the items brought for discussion were clocks, a selection of which are illustrated here.
One of the earliest battery powered clocks shown was made by Bulle with a glass case by Lalique. This clock has a coil on the pendulum compared to clocks by competing firm, Ato, who used a magnetic iron bar to impulse the pendulum. The booklet by John Locke, entitled Ato Battery Clocks, features inside an apparently similar clock in a Lalique case which was dated 1928.
The Eurocil Company of Switzerland made an experimental quartz clock with a Marin chip c. 1979. Its tick was too noisy to be successful in the market place but this example has been used as a workshop regulator where its loud tick is beneficial when regulating clocks and watches.
A Synchronome digital master system. The brass mounted master clock, stamped Synchronome Electric had readouts showing hours and minutes in black numerals and seconds in red. The controlled clock was impulsed every five seconds and had a seconds hand which could be hand-set. Its silent movement made it ideal for an air traffic control-room.
The Italian designer and architect Angelo Mangiarotti designed Secticon, a range of clocks with plastic cases. Their movements by Portescap had a dry cell battery which ran a small motor at 1000rpm. The remontoire lever escapements were unusual.
An electric wall clock by Lepaute Electrique. It has a rectangular wooden case with a very heavy, separate marble backboard. It has been bought recently at a local auction house. It appeared to be complete but had not yet been unpacked and tested. Removal of the clock case, left, enables the parts to be seen more clearly.
Clock and watch escapements (March 2025)
Jim’s talk opened with a chronology of significant innovations in escapement design from those of Thomas Mudge, John Arnold, Abraham-Louis Breguet, John Gottlieb Ulrich, Thomas Earnshaw, Edward John Dent, Sigmund Reifler, William George Schoof, George Daniels to Derek Pratt, all illustrated by videos or animations.
He then went on to describe his own four clocks which illustrate the different escapements he has designed and made.
The first was a skeleton clock. It has an inertially detached three-legged gravity escapement and train remontoire which gives a constant force to the escapement. Jim closely observes its timekeeping which is within one minute a year.
The next was the well-known weight driven triple pendulum clock which stands in Upton Hall. This has another version of Jim’s completely detached gravity escapement which was specially designed for the location’s springy floor which could cause clocks with standard escapements to stop. The clock was made by a team of clockmakers to celebrate the BHI’s 150th anniversary.
Jim’s quest for ever more precise timekeeping led to this mantle clock. It follows on from the ideas of Huygens and the clocks of Janvier and Breguet. This has two hollow pendulums swinging in resonance each containing a magnet. Its timekeeping is regularly checked and achieves a rate better than a minute a year.
The final clock is Jim’s current project. This also has two pendulums, in this case controlled by a detached gravity impulsed falling ball escapement. It is enclosed within a vacuum tank to exclude atmospheric factors which would influence its running. Jim expects this to become his very best timekeeper.
Bring & Discuss - Letter 'A' (February 2025)
This meeting began with the AGM which was postponed last month owing to bad weather. Once the formal proceedings were over, the meeting went on to the evening’s topic: Horological items relating to letter ‘A’. Some of the items shown are illustrated below.
Top left and right : A member’s first pocket watch was of special significance as it showed his family name. It had a standard London verge movement and was hallmarked 1812. Bottom left: An anonymous movement with Chinese duplex escapement, the parts of which were fully engraved with fine detail. Bottom right: A movement signed Arnold & Frodsham, 84 Strand, London, number 4227. This had an English lever movement with bi-metallic balance.
A carved wood and ivory automaton figure of a whistling tramp was made by the Griesbaum family in the Black Forest in the early twentieth century. Its head, hands, buttons, rosette, big toe and stick are ivory. When activated, he turns, nods and whistles, making a sound similar to a whistling bird.
A gold wristwatch of small size, signed Harwood was shown. After returning from WW1, John Harwood settled in the Isle of Man where he resolved to develop a way of winding wristwatches without a keyhole. This led to the first automatic wristwatch. Harwood patented a centrally pivoted weight which swings between spring buffers while the watch is worn. Hands were set by rotating the bezel. His invention was first patented in Switzerland on 1 September 1924, number 106583. mprovements in Clocks, described thus: ‘Application of keyless watch winding gear to clocks, regulators and all large time indicators.’
This early example of a small domestic alarm clock was gifted to one of our members when he was five years old. It is many years older than he is and dates back to WW1. The text on the dial reads: Gilbert Wake Up which indicates its manufacture by the American company Gilbert.
We were shown details of this clock as it was too fragile to transport safely. It is a George lll musical automaton table clock by London maker Benjamin Ward.
The three train clock has a silvered dial and below it, a riverside automaton scene of people and swans crossing a river. It has nine bells, eight for the tunes and one for the strike.
The dial and movement of a longcase clock which has undergone significant alterations during its life. The dial is signed ‘France, Warrington.’ This was Richard France who was active during the first half of the eighteenth century. It has been converted from 30-hour to eight-day duration at some time in its history in a very unsympathetic manner.
