A rare peek inside Newcastle’s historic clocks

I love the Brampton Museum and I know that I’m not alone in this. It’s really special to be able to share with so many others like you who cherish this little Victorian treasure with all its hidden gems. The museum has so many wonders from the past that reflect both national and local history. There are many things that Newcastle holds as part of its proud history. For example, during Victorian times there were over a hundred clock makers. So little wonder that at the Brampton we are very lucky to hold a very varied collection of beautiful clocks all made in the Borough of Newcastle under Lyme, from the Skerrett’s of Red Lion Square to the Egertons of Kidsgrove. Some of these time pieces date back over 200 years and that passing of the years has taken its toll on some of these treasures. They have fallen silent. But, here at the Brampton we like a challenge and we’re pleased that our new Museum Supporters do too. They have been busily raising funds, ready for the first step of our exploration to assess how we can try to go about these restorations.

We recently welcomed professional conservator Callum Scobie-Young from he Cumbria Clock Company to have a look inside. Like many conservation skills ‘Horology,’ the technical name for the study and repair of clocks, is on the official list of endangered historic crafts. Thankfully, Callum is one of a new wave of young people being trained and accredited by universities like Birmingham City.

As we showed him around the museum, we got talking to Callum about how he became a professional conservator.

“Working with clocks is a family business. My parents were professional restorers, so I always grew up around clocks. I wanted to work with my hands and had an interest in history, so now my brother and I carry on the tradition.”

“While it’s sad that clock making has become an endangered craft, there are lots of people with a passion to keep these skills alive. There are even organisations like the Worshipful Company of Clock makers that date all the way back to 1631.”

The Cumbria Clock company itself has 35 years of experience and has worked on the biggest of projects, including Big Ben itself, so we knew we were in safe hands. Nevertheless, it was with some trepidation that we unlocked the cases and lifted the clock hoods. We hadn’t seen inside these clocks for many years, and some hadn’t been opened since they were originally donated.

With great care, Callum checked the workings of each clock. It was a truly magical moment to hear the chimes of a clock that has stood silent for over a decade (follow the link to listen to the chimes), or see the painted scenes rotate from morning to night as they once did.

There were several surprises. One of the clocks not currently on display and safe in our stores still had it’s ‘silvered’ face. Rather than being yellow brass, it had been treated with silver chloride which means the clock face would shine in the candlelight in the evening- being made long before electricity. So many of the clocks still had their original features, one even still had a rope holding the weight that powered it, rather than a more modern chain.

As with all adventures we are approaching this with a great deal of excitement and some trepidation. We are waiting anxiously for our expert report, and we promise to keep you updated every step of the way. It’s lovely that you are joining us on this journey, we so value your support.