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Peter Watkinson

The Tail of Two Cities & The Rode to Ruin

Join the distinguished turret clock specialist, Peter Watkinson FBHI, to hear about the making of two extraordinary exhibition tower clocks and the challenging restoration, automatic winding and re-siting of a third.
Peter studied horology at Hackney technical college in the early seventies and for a number of years was foreman at Gillett and Johnston.  Today he works  as an independent  maker and conservator of turret clocks.
Peter will be discussing the challenges that he faced making these two clocks, the methods that he used in to overcome the difficulties of clock making on a larger scale and the perils of letting one’s enthusiasm get the upper hand! Peter will also be discussing work on a third clock and will be revealing whether or not the ‘Rode’ led to ruin.

Thursday 7th June Oliver Cooke
The Life and Times of Edward East.

Oliver Cooke studied the conservation and restoration of antique clocks at West Dean College, West Sussex, between 2005 and 2007. He became an assistant curator in the Horological Section of the British Museum in 2007 and has been a curator of horology since 2008.
Edward East was one of the most successful clock and watchmakers of the seventeenth centaury he was watchmaker to Charles the first. He was twice master of the Clockmakers Company 1645 & 1652.  That he lived to the age of at least 90 and through some of the most significant events to our history, Cromwell and the Civil War, Plague, and the Great Fire of London must have had effects to his horological business. Oliver has studied many of the clocks and watches that have been found to date and shared with us the knowledge he has gained of this little researched master clockmaker.