Category: Meetings

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

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.

 

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

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.

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

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.

Examples 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