TIME sped up for visitors to The Bowes Museum as they were mesmerised by the skills of a clock specialist.
Horologist Matthew Read, who previously oversaw the refurbishment of the museum’s famous silver swan automaton, showed off his skills for two days as he worked to dismantle a clock from the 1780s, repair it and then put it back together, all in front of visitors.
Four conservators from other departments in the museum, such as paintings and textiles, were on hand as well to learn more about what makes a clock tick as part of an internal training scheme.
Cecilia Oliver, a textile conservator, said: “It is really good to expand our knowledge.
“It is very useful in a place where there are so many different things.”
Work on the clock was done meticulously, with each part carefully photographed as it was removed.
Mr Read explained that had it been a more unusual or unique piece, each item would have been carefully measured and documented but this was not being done in this case.
He added: “When we did the swan we had three months, not two days, so we have had to do a little bit of a compromise.”
After removing the dial the conservators noticed two pins which seemed to not to be in use and two empty holes. Mr Read said: “That is telling us something is missing.”
After some investigation he revealed a string had been removed from the mechanism.
The string would be strung through to the owner’s bedroom, which they could pull during the night to hear which was the last hour that had past, he said.
He explained he would not be replacing the missing mechanism, but had they chosen to do so, each new piece would require a hallmark with a date stamped on it so as not to create uncertainity about the authenticity of the clock in the future.
