Recent Meetings

Meeting reports for previous years: 2017

Restoration of a musical clock  (November 2018)

How do you go about restoring a wrecked musical table clock dating to c.1755 which has lost its tune barrel, eleven (of its thirteen) bells and many other important parts? Jim Arnfield showed that sufficient information and components remained for him to contemplate its reconstruction. He outlined the painstaking attention to detail required to identify the tunes, notate them and recreate plans to pin a replacement tune barrel, to mark it out and to insert 1,500 pins. Jim made the missing movement parts from brass which he made to the same ‘recipe’ as the original, and eleven bells tuned to the correct notes were sourced. In addition, the clock’s original case had been broken and lost so a specialist case maker constructed a mahogany case to which Jim fitted new gilded cast brass furnishings. The result is a showcase of twenty-first century horological skills.

The back of the movement before restoration. J. Baker, Newcastle can be seen engraved in a large cartouche; vacant holes either side of the signature suggest this was covered at some time.	The front of the movement before restoration.
The back of the movement after restoration showing the new music barrel, strike bell and set of bells and hammers.	The front of the movement after restoration.

The completed clock in its new case. The name J. Walker, Newcastle is engraved in the arch.

Coventry watches   (October 2018)

Most of the evening was spent discussing the watches made by Rotherham and Sons. Of much interest was a watch which was bought by, or for Captain William B Stewart in 1915. He served in a Field Ambulance unit as part of the Royal Army Medical Corps. The captain was killed in May 1917, but his silver wristwatch survives. It is in fine going condition complete with its original leather wriststrap. Rather than design new watch movements when wearing wristwatches became popular, Rotherhams economised by using existing small pocket and fob watch movements with modified cases. The model we were shown opened from the front and the movement hinged out pocket watch-style. It had a three quarter plate movement with a fully compensated balance, Breguet over-coiled spring, was fully jewelled and is an excellent timekeeper.

The Rotherham wristwatch with its later leather strap in its display box.	The front of the watch opens to access the dial; then the movement hinges out to reveal the movement and inside the case. It has the R&S mark, a London hallmark for 1914 and the number 253518.
The dial with Arabic numbers and skeleton hands; these were luminised. The hands are pin set.	The back of the watch case showing: 'Capt. Wm. B. Stewart 2/1st LFA RAMC (TF) 1915'.

Visit to Cuckooland, Tabley, Cheshire  (August 2018)

Over seven hundred cuckoo clocks under one roof! Owners Roman and Maz Piekarski ensured many of the cuckoo clocks in their vast collection had been wound for us so that while telling us about the most interesting ones, their different sounds and calls could be demonstrated. Each clock has its own story to tell, some play tunes, have birds other than cuckoos, have more than one bird or fascinating automata. In addition to the wonderful clocks, there is also a German keyless concert organ which was played for us and a superb collection of vintage motorcycles with sidecars.

Members of the Northern Section and guests during our visit to Cuckooland. Centre seated with tie: Roman Piekarski and to his left, Maz Piekarski.

Smuggling Holological Supplies from Switzerland in WWll   (July 2018)

Tales of derring-do entertained us in Ian Greaves' talk on the smuggling of horological items from Switzerland to the UK during the hostilities of WWll. Britain required parts and tools we could no longer manufacture to the necessary standards and quantities. Ian outlined how Switzerland's neutrality combined with its continued need for trade with both hostile and allied nations led to smuggling. Vast quantities of vitally important horological items made in Switzerland came to Britain to enable our rearmament thanks to the brave and imaginative routes devised by the Ministry of Economic Warfare.

Trip to the Isle of Man (May 2018)

Members of the Northern Section recently enjoyed a visit to a private collection in the Isle of Man.

The collection is housed in a private estate on the island. We began in the Orangery where there were magnificent plants and interesting sundials.

The house is the result of a lifetime's work in engineering, invention and design. Collections of fossils, semi precious stones, paintings and photographs as well as clocks and watches are housed there. Our group toured the collections and was guided around the horological items by Dr JC Taylor. We spent most of the day there and as a thank you, presented a cheque for the Teapot Trust, a charity close to the owner's heart.

As a thank you, Northern Section Chairman Gary Burns presented a cheque to Dr JC Taylor for the Teapot Trust charity	Northern Section members discussing a sundial in the Orangery
The dial of the sixteenth century turret clock at Castle Rushen and a later, polyhedral sundial nearby interested members	Close up of the two dials

Bring and Discuss - Letter T   (April 2018)

A treasure-trove of items related to Letter T was brought in by members. Two Tompion watches, one made pre 1700 was complete and running well. The other was photographed that morning when dismantled for the first time in 100+ years. This revealed previously unseen numbering, Tompion's scratched signature (by his own hand?) and possible date (1683). There were watches by 'makers' whose names began with 'T', a Thwaites and Reed three train, triple fusee 'tulip' table clock, and a double dial timepiece made for the GPO.  A tortoiseshell watch signed Thomas Lees of Bury in a Turkish outer case, a watch by William Travers of London and a Tipsy watch key were also shown. A compact turret timepiece made for a Liverpool school by Thomas Condliff, and a large collection of travelling clocks including a Junghans Joker were also displayed. One member used a meter to demonstrate the value of modern luminising compounds and tritium, compared to the beta radiation still emitting from a WW1 standard issue wristwatch dial and one of the travelling clocks. We finished with a mystery item - a large pair of turns, but for what task? (see below)

Turret timepiece by Thomas Condliff, Liverpool dating to second half of the nineteenth century	Complete watch movement by Thomas Tompion in later 24ct gold case

Tortoise shell triple-cased watch by Thomas Lees,Bury with its Turkish outer case

Pair of turns for what purpose? (Unfortunately not to scale.)

Work in Progress  (February 2018)

Members brought in their current projects. These included a slide-show of research into the use of squirrel designs on watches made during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and photos of a walnut marquetry longcase made by one of our members to house a clock by William Grimes of c. 1690. One member showed components he has made for a case to house a minute repeating fob watch movement to convert it into a wristwatch. Its small size (30mm diameter) and 3 o'clock position winding crown make it ideal to be worn on the wrist. We were updated on progress on the making of six Harrison H3 Sea Clock replicas - pendulum design, manufacture and testing are the current project. Restoration of a pretty thirty hour alarm wall clock by William Gill of Maidstone was another subject for discussion as was a proof copy of a new book by Keith Bates: Early Clock and Watchmakers of the Blacksmiths Company, which will be published later this year.

Detail of a marquetry door panel of the new case for an orphan clock movement by William Grimes c. 1690	Newly constructed replica of the pendulum of John Harrison's Sea Clock, H3