Category: Meetings 2022 & 2023

12^th May 2022

J E Allnutt & Son Ltd., Midhurst. Expanding the business and training apprentices

Geoff Allnutt MBHI. And two of his apprentices

The last 10 or more years we have enjoyed the company of many young horologists training at West Dean College. Unfortunately, this May, Malcolm Archer has suffered the Covid 19 virus and as a result has had to cancel our talk from the students. You are however welcome to see their presentations at the college on Saturday, 14 May.

I’m extremely grateful to Geoff Allnutt, for stepping in at the last minute, accompanied by two of his apprentices Jacob Russell, FBHI. And Patrick Woodward, MBHI.

Geoff, a watchmaker, started his career working alongside his father, John, when he was 14. At 16 he left Midhurst and studied horology in London for three years at Hackney Technical College passing the final grade of the British Horological Institute exams with merit in 1985. He then embarked on the famous WOSTEP (Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program) course in Neuchatel Switzerland studying under master watchmaker Antoine Simonin. Upon his return to the UK, he rejoined the family business and for the past thirty years he has successfully developed the vintage wristwatch restoration and sales side of the company. He is also one of two Programme Advisors for the Postgraduate Diploma Conservation of Clocks and Related Objects at West Dean College in West Sussex. He has already trained two apprentices to FBHI status and has also mentored a number of clock and watchmakers.

Jacob Russell. Watchmaker was the recipient of the Beresford Hutchinson prize in 2016. Geoff is delighted that Jacob Russell, his apprentice for the last 5 years has passed his British Horological Exams with Merit together with the highest mark for his portfolio; thus, becoming the youngest Fellow of the British Horological Institute in Britain.

Patrick Woodward. Watchmaker initially approached Geoff in November 2017, after reading an article about Jacob’s success in the local press. Geoff saw great potential in Patrick, and he offered him a full-time apprenticeship in watchmaking in April 2018.

Patrick has recently completed his apprenticeship of 4 years and qualified to become a Member of the British Horological Institute. He has been doing some most intricate work making a jewelled locking roller for a duplex and is also studying for FBHI Status.

Duncan Greig

The meeting was held at The White Hart Barn in Godstone and made accessible via Zoom to those unable to attend.

14^th April 2022

Clockmaking in Guernsey, Surviving the Distance Learning Course

Ian Lihou

When Ron Rose organised courses for the South London Branch members at BHI Upton Hall, not only did we get to meet some of the best Tutors but other horologists, many of them starting out in their careers.  Meeting Ian at Paul Schroders course on Platform escapements was wonderful. A young man dedicated to traveling from Guernsey to Upton Hall in the pursuit of his career humbled me.

Ian was to be the recipient of the Beresford Hutchinson prize that year awarded from the South London Branch.

Very little was exchanged but friendship and advise until a mutual customer took delivery of his latest treasure and the opportunity to visit Ian’s workroom while waiting for the ferry in Guernsey took place.

Here was a great workroom of a young an enthusiastic recently qualified MBHI working as a full time Clockmaker in the Channel Islands. Most of his study had been achieved using the Distance Learning course and Ian was embarking on making his first clock. He has now completed his second commission, a 4-leg gravity escapment regulator.

The South London Branch welcomes Ian, one of our newest members to have joined during the last two years as he briefly touches on the history of the island, its significant clockmaker, and some of the work that has cross his bench over the last nine years, Warts, and all. The reality of working in isolation and as we all experience in horology, the knowledge that we are still learning, seeing something new.

Duncan Greig

The meeting was held at The White Hart Barn in Godstone and made accessible via Zoom to those unable to attend.

10^th March 2022

Annual General Meeting

Following the AGM Barnaby Smith will give a presentation on Godstone Clock & Watchmakers

Barnaby is the Treasurer of the South London Branch and also a member of the Kent branch of the B.H. I. He is a liveryman of the clockmaker’s company, a life member of the A.H.S. and a former recipient of The Percy Dawson Award from the A.H.S. His talk will cover his recent efforts in researching information about clock & watchmakers in Godstone.

The meeting was held at The White Hart Barn in Godstone and made accessible via Zoom to those unable to attend.

10^th February 2022

About time: a history of civilisation in 12 clocks.

David Rooney

Many members of the South London Branch will be very happy and pleased to welcome back David Rooney who has contributed many talks and lectures to our branch over the years.

David, here with a new book that has been occupying a lot of his time, is now a freelance researcher and writer. He is a council member for the Antiquarian Horological Society. Born and brought up in South Shields he has had a lifetime’s involvement in horology. His parents started their own horological business in 1982 converting parts of the family home into workshop and office when David was just a small boy. His mother, a researcher, did the accounts and managed the business and David can remember being taken to many properties where his father cared for their horological exhibits. Many of those people that his mother and father met still fondly remember the expertise that his parents lavished on their clocks.

So, it is no wonder that David would follow a career path inspired by their own. After working at the Science Museum as a technology curator, David was to become Curator of Timekeeping at the Royal Greenwich Observatory which is where many of us enjoyed hearing his story of the lady who sold time, Ruth Belville. David then left to work again at the Science Museum setting up the mathematical gallery and publishing his second book whilst being Curator of Time, Navigation and Transport. He has now turned freelance and collated a lot of the information that he has already researched along with further new stories taking the often-difficult task of putting pen to paper.

His new book “About time: a history of civilisation in 12 clocks”, a very catchy title, is published by Penguin books. This book tackles the history of the world, the history of us, how with time we have been controlled and politicised. How empires have been built. This is not a technical book on horology but how clocks and time has been used for centuries as a source of control, power, morality, and belief.

The meeting was held at The White Hart Barn in Godstone and made accessible via Zoom to those unable to attend.

13^th January 2022

Oldetimers vintage wrist watches

Crispin Maciejewski

Our next meeting will be our very own Crispin Maciejewski. He has sold watches worldwide to both national and private collections and even supplied the film industry.

 I hope you will welcome him on our new meeting date the second Thursday of the month, Thursday the 13^th of January, weather and current Covid restrictions permitting.

Crispin’s interest in watches began whilst studying jewellery and silversmithing. He will share his passion for pre-1950s wristwatches his fascination for their intricate engineering and design and tell us more on how he started his horological career with a four-year apprenticeship in horology. This led to the launch of Oldetimers. A company he set up with the desire to keep wonderful timepieces alive and ticking into the future.

His talk will explore the workmanship that goes into these watches, from the mechanical movement to the fine detailing of the cases, I hope his infectious enthusiasm will help to keep these wonderful pieces ticking well into the future.

The meeting was held at The White Hart Barn in Godstone and made accessible via Zoom to those unable to attend.