2017 February meeting

February 2, 2017

The Derek Pratt Frodsham H4 Watch

Roger Stevenson FBHI

For our February meeting we are delighted to welcome Roger Stevenson FBHI.

After a six year apprenticeship, Roger worked for The Chronometer Section at Herstmonceux before moving to The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, as Senior Conservation Officer responsible for the horological collections. After a number of years as an independent watch and chronometer repairer he joined the Frodsham team undertaking antique restoration and the development of a new wrist watch. He was also closely involved in the completion of Derek Pratt’s H4 project.

When still a boy Derek visited the Science Museum in London and was fascinated to see Harrison’s H2. Later he read Gould’s “The Marine Chronometer, its history and development” and went on to attend The National School of Horology in combination with an apprenticeship with S. Smith and Sons. Around 1997 Derek decided to make his own copy of H4 as a tribute to Harrison and also as a an in-depth study of the timekeeper. Derek was well qualified to undertake this challenge and with his friendly approach he enlisted the help of other talented people including the late Martin Matthews who made the case. Sadly, Derek was not able to finish his H4 but had asked Charles Frodsham and Co. to complete the project.

Roger’s talk including the showing of the film produced by Barbara Darby is an account of the project from conception to completion. Roger will also be bringing along a number of the special tools made by Frodsham’s to complete the watch.

This evening will present a unique opportunity to meet and discuss the details of this memorable project with one of the key people directly involved in its completion.

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

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2017 January meeting

Restoration of a Railway Clock,

Grenville Johns

We welcome a past Chairman of the Branch to undertake his first full presentation of a major project he undertook. Gren is no stranger to giving lectures as he spent some of his professional life as an IT Instructor, teaching amongst many things how the operating system on the large IBM mainframes of the day worked. He also represented his employers at various user group meetings giving presentations on the various projects he was leading at the time.
He enjoyed the handicraft subjects of woodwork and metalwork at school and although following an academic education path, continued to use the artisan skills as a way of relaxing and meeting the demands of DIY in the home when money was tight.
He got into horology as it seemed that wooden cases and metal movements provided a good opportunity to use his handicraft skills, while fulfilling a desire to find something interesting to do in retirement. He foolishly mentioned this to a lady contractor who was working for him at the time and she promptly produced two clocks from a deceased aunt for attention. He undertook some self education and got both clocks working and thus the horological disease took hold, and the rest as they say is history.
While he was Chairman Gren encouraged all members to consider giving a talk to the branch, so he is about to take is own advice. This talk will take you through the tasks of a major project Gren undertook to restore an incomplete auction lot of a railway clock to working order and pride of place in his clock room. The illustrated talk will cover the tasks he undertook to create/obtain the missing case and movement parts as well as a little conjectural history of the clock.

dcp_0825 grenonbluebell

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

2016 December meeting

Clocks in Urban Infrastructure

David Rooney

We are used to seeing clocks on the streets of our towns and cities designed to tell us the time, whether on churches and public buildings or fixed outside shops and mounted in roundabouts and railway stations. But public clocks are only one type of clock we routinely encounter when out and about in daily life. There is a huge network of clocks hidden from view which help make cities operate. In the December meeting, David Rooney will be talking about the clocks that have been embedded into urban systems, from street lighting and fire alarm networks to traffic signals and taxicabs, as well as underpinning modern technologies as diverse as satellite navigation and financial trading.

David Rooney is Keeper of Technologies and Engineering at the Science Museum, London. He has recently completed a major study of urban traffic congestion and his latest book, Mathematics: How It Shaped Our World will be published on 8 December. This coincides with the opening of the Museum’s much-anticipated Mathematics: The Winton Gallery, designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid, of which David is Lead Curator. He is a Liveryman and Past Steward of the Clockmakers’ Company, a Council Member of the Antiquarian Horological Society and a Trustee of the Clockworks Trust based in South London.

 

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

2016 October meeting

AGM followed by a talk from Johan ten Hoeve

A Replica Clock for the Shogun’s Shrine

This meeting will be a two stage event. Firstly there will be the AGM where you have the opportunity to find out the current state of branch affairs. There will be reports from the Chairman and Treasurer followed by any questions, and the election of the committee for the coming year.
Please remember to vote at the AGM you must be a member of both our Branch and the BHI at Upton Hall.
After the AGM we are delighted to welcome Johan ten Hoeve
Members will remember this talk was planned for our August meeting but due to illness Johan was unable to attend.
Full details of the talk are in the August newsletter.
Johan, a second generation Dutch clockmaker, moved from Amsterdam to the UK and studied clock conservation and restoration at West Dean College (2007–2010). With the support of his tutor Matthew Read, and Jonathan Betts of the Royal Observatory, he broke new ground at West Dean by creating his masterpiece, a replica of a year-going pendulum clock made by Thomas Tompion for the observatory in 1676. Johan’s clock is now on permanent show in the observatory’s Octagon Room.
Johan also collaborated with James Nye in the design and establishment of The Clockworks, and is now its first conservator-in-residence.

2016 September meeting

September 1, 2016

“George – the master watchmaker”

 Grahame Brooks Hon FBHI

For this year’s Beresford Hutchinson Memorial Lecture we welcome our own member and a past chairman Grahame Brooks Hon FBHI.

Although George Daniels and Grahame both attended evening classes in watch & clock making at Northampton Polytechnic in Clerkenwell (later to become the National College of Horology), they did not meet for some years after they had completed their exams.

They were introduced at Omega in the 1960’s when George made one of his weekly visits to pick-up a parcel of watches for servicing. Their friendship continued until George’s sad passing in 2011.
The talk will cover the many years of George’s achievements, including his battle to convince the Swiss that his invention of the co-axial escapement was something they should consider adopting!

The PowerPoint presentation will give an insight into George’s passion for vintage car’s, playing the mouth organ, collecting Leica cameras etc., and an unforgettable trip to Switzerland!
Grahame is a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company.

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2016 August meeting

 

A REPLICA CLOCK FOR THE SHOGUN’S SHRINE

 Johan ten Hoeve

For our August meeting we welcome Johan ten Hoeve who will be describing the making of a replica clock for the Shogun’s shrine.
The original clock was given in 1611 by Spanish King Philip to shogun Tokugaw leyasu, who founded the last military government in premodern Japan.
Johan is a second generation Dutch clockmaker, having grown up surrounded by the clocks his father was making and repairing in their family business.
He was initially drawn to furniture-making and studied at Amsterdam’s Hout en Meubileringscollege (2003–2007). His study there, in the design and construction of furniture and objects, combined with experience in his father’s workshop, gave him the desire to create clocks as much about design and aesthetics as about timekeeping.
From Amsterdam he moved to the UK and studied clock conservation and restoration at West Dean College (2007–2010). With the support of his tutor Matthew Read, and Jonathan Betts of the Royal Observatory, he broke new ground at West Dean by creating his masterpiece, a replica of a year-going pendulum clock made by Thomas Tompion for the observatory in 1676. Johan’s clock is now on permanent show in the observatory’s Octagon Room.
Moving to London in 2010, Johan has worked together with noted clockmaker and restorer Julius Schoonhoven at his workshop in south-west London. He also collaborated with James Nye in the design and establishment of The Clockworks, and is now its first conservator-in-residence.

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

2016 July meeting

THE COLE FAMILY CLOCKMAKERS

Ron Rose FBHI

For our July talk we welcome our Vice President Ron Rose FBHI. Ron’s contribution to our branch over many years is immeasurable. A past chairman and the driving force behind our very successful workshop, Ron has also written a most respected book, “English Dial Clocks.” With over 50 years of experience in the trade this promises to be an evening to remember.

Ron’s talk will aim to portray the lives of three Clockmakers. James Cole, the father, James Ferguson Cole, the eldest son and his younger brother Thomas Cole.
The two brothers are credited with ingenuity and skills, easily matching all of the famous names of the time, but where did their inspiration come from? With two, 15 minute duration videos, the talk will attempt to suggest the answer, and shift some of the praise to another.
Many of the clock photographs have not been seen before and include a wide range of types and styles. Longcase, bracket, carriage clocks were normal, but tripod, strut, diamond, table top, book cover and dressing table clocks, emphasise not just unusual but absolutely unique.

As you will read in our newsletter we are also very pleased to welcome Dudley Giles Hon FBHI, CEO of the BHI at Upton Hall who will be giving us an update on developments at the BHI.

ThosColeBracketClock007_webColeyearminiatureLC020_web

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

2016 June meeting

SINGING BIRD AUTOMATA

Phillip Gale FBHI
The meeting on the 2nd June will be back to our usual White Hart Barn venue and we are delighted to welcome Phillip Gale FBHI who will be talking to us about the repair and restoration of Singing Bird Musical Boxes.
Phillip has gained a wide reputation for restoring singing bird musical boxes and people now consult him on a worldwide basis.
He studied horology at Hackney College on day release from his first job in Guildford before moving on to a job at the R.E.M.E. in Aldershot as a civilian watchmaker/ instrument maker.
Four years later he moved to a job in Cornwell and then in 1990 set up his own business.
Philip became a Fellow of the British Horological Institute in 1994, a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers in 1999 and a Liveryman of said company in 2002.
This talk promises an experts insight into the complex mechanisms and workings of these fascinating devices.

Singingbirdgroup Workshop004_2

Monthly branch meetings are normally held at the The White Hart Barn in Godstone

 

June 2, 2016

THE WHITE HART BARN

(Godstone Village Hall)

GODSTONE

SURREY RH9 8DU

7.30 pm for 8.00 pm Start

2016 May meeting

May 5, 2016

Our next meeting will comprise of several presentations from the current crop of horology students at West Dean college. This annual event gives the students a chance to try their hand at public speaking and present on a project that makes up a major part of their coursework for qualification in restoration and conservation of antique clocks. This evening promises good variety and an opportunity for lively discussion.

Cfnctu2WwAEsd80.jpg largeExamples of work from West Dean college, shown at our open day in 2016

Presentations:

Michael Cranefield – More on Cleaning. An update on research into using ‘CleanSpirit’ as a viable clock cleaning solution.

Rob Thompson – Researching the properties of mainsprings using an electronic torque meter to evaluate their characteristics.

Jonathan Turner Bishop – Career change from the Swiss watch industry to the conservation of clocks.

Daniela Corda – Dilemmas of Dynamic Objects. A journey through some of the ethical issues relating to the repair of clocks through case studies.

Ken de Lucca – You always hurt the one you love. A discussion of the historic remaking of a tavern clock and its future.

Nick Western – The turret clock at West Dean by JW Benson.

Fjodor vd Broek – The professional decision making process relating to historic restorations.

Matthew Read – Seven years at West Dean. A review and reflection of some of the highpoints from the past seven years and a glimpse of the future as the college engages more with Higher Education in the 21st century.

Please note that this event will be held at the temporary venue, The Soper Hall in Caterham.

  • Soper Hall, Harestone Valley Road
  • Caterham, CR3 6HY

 

 

  • Soper Hall, Harestone Valley Road
  • Caterham, CR3 6HY

 

2016 April meeting

RESTORATION OF A BRACKET CLOCK

Sid Lines MBHI

For our April meeting we are delighted to welcome Sid Lines MBHI. Many members will remember Sid’s talk on “Workshop Practice – Hints & Tips” and know that we are in for a very practically focused evening. This is a change to our published programme as unfortunately due to a business commitment David Walter cannot be with us and we are very grateful to Sid for stepping in at such short notice.
Sid says “being in engineering for most of my working life has its advantages as most of the required hand skills were brought about by lots of practice. During the practice there was also a large amount of small machine tool work (lathes / milling etc.) again helping greatly when it comes to making replacement parts and methods of repair.”
The talk covers the restoration of a clock purchased at a branch auction some four years ago and shows how Sid used his engineering ideas to make the missing parts plus a small amount of carpentry.
The clock by a local “Maidstone” maker is a good example of a small double fusee in a pleasant rose wood veneered case.
Sid hopes we will enjoy the talk as much as he enjoyed restoring the clock – I am sure we will!!

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