Past Meetings
To give you a taste of the way our meetings are conducted, a few past topics are listed below. Meetings usually begin at 10.00am with coffee and biscuits and allow half an hour for members to chat and get up-to-date with news. A typical meeting continues with the morning session of talks, which proceeds until lunch at 1.00pm ( there may be a half-hour bar break before lunch). The afternoon session begins about 2.15pm and the meeting closes at around 4.15pm. Members are encouraged to contribute to a theme at these meetings, (e.g. lantern clocks, turret clocks) and where research on a particular maker is taking place, members have been treated to a unique display of mechanisms, so that they can directly compare the dials and movements. 'Bring and buy' sessions are popular and there are demonstrations of members' work such as clocks or horological equipment they have made. Recent talks include:
Spiro Azzopardi - Clock Hunting in the Monasteries of the Mount Athos Peninsula, Greece. Not only is it extremely difficult to get access to this area (and you have to speak Greek), but the hidden treasures it holds are unbelievable. The monks were great craftsmen, and built their own clocks as well as imported. They were also great gunsmiths. English bracket clocks and lantern clocks lie in their museums alongside ancient firearms. There were several turret clocks, mostly abandoned. Travel between monasteries was on foot as roads (such as they are) are frequently impassable due to landslides. Even when the monasteries are reached it is extremely difficult to get access to the museums, and Spiro frequently left without seeing a clock. But the experience has excited him enough to try and make a return trip, and the members are looking forward to his next talk!
Ed Cloutman - Pull Repeat Mechanisms and the use of CAD in Horology. This talk included the restoration of a bracket clock by Joseph Knibb published in Horological Journal, February, March and April 2000.
Phil Coggan - Engraving Guns. This was the first talk ever given by Phil, who used to work as a painter for the Coal Board and in his spare time used to make replica guns. He started engraving the locks for himself, as he couldn't afford to buy one until Purdey's saw his work and commissioned him to engrave for them. His work was so good that he soon found himself working for American collectors and is now one of about half a dozen top engravers in the world. One gun may take six months to a year to complete, inset with gold and silver. Traditional hand engraving methods are used, only on steel rather than brass. The metal is undercut to hold the gold and silver inlay. Hatching is used to impart shading and give depth to the engraving. It was a fascinating insight into a craft that has not changed for hundreds of years.
Emyr Davies - Clock Conservation in Museums: Ethics and Practical Aspects. Emyr is trained in horology and furniture conservation and restoration and is now working at the Museum of Welsh Life. Thus he is one of the few horologists who is an expert on both movements and clock cases. He is at present working on the Iscoyd Tompion and part of his talk was on the state of the movement and the case. He discussed the controversial addition of the fusee striking mechanism and indicated on the movement where the kidney shaped cam (operating the equation of time pointer) had been moved to account for the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar in the 18th century.
Mike Grange - The Voyce Clockmakers of the Forest of Dean. This talk included a guided tour of the Voyce clock collection at Soudley.
Bill Linnard - The Vaughans of Pontypool: A Family of Clockmakers and their Clocks. This was published in Antiquarian Horology 2001, June, pp. 137-148.
W.T. Rees Pryce: Comtoise Clocks. This talk combined social history and horology, compared the British longcase with the French Comtoise, gave details of the development of the Comtoise and an account of clock-hunting in France.
Meeting of Saturday, 15th June at Grosmont Old Town Hall -We were treated to a spectacular array of Millennium clocks by the South London Branch of the B.H.I., the brainchild of Ron Rose, who leads a dedicated bunch of horologists. They were the first to admit that it is his driving force and enthusiasm that keeps the projects going, together with his unique knowledge of clockmaking which inspired them all and taught them so much. The session was introduced by their chairman, David Hancock. Among the clocks on display were a weight driven solar powered clock by Bill Horan, a month going clock by Ron Rose, a month going clock by Peter Mower, a table regulator by James Marten and a congreve by Alan Turner.
Llancarfan Village Hall, June 1993 - Ed and Bill gave a talk to members and guests on Henry Williams of Lancarvan an 18th century clockmaker/farmer who forms the basis of their book (see research section). About 50 people attended and were taken to see the house where Henry Williams carried out his clockmaking and also taken on a tour of the church and graveyard. The remains of two scratch dials on the south porch of the church created some interest. We also thank one of the clock owners, who transported his Henry Williams Bristol tidal dial clock all the way from Suffolk, and it ran beautifully throughout the day. We also thank Wendy Lawday for her valuable contribution to the days events. She has carried out a great deal of research on the Edward Williams family, to whom she is related.
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