Monday 17 November 2014

Our usual Monday session was cancelled today, due to the steady rain forecast for this morning. Instead, a team will be on site on Tuesday, so with a bit of luck there will be an update on the platform works tomorrow evening.

In the meantime, a question to our readers. A few years ago, a member bought the clock below at an auction, with the intention of installing it at Broadway. It originally came from Chippenham station, so is likely to be authentic GWR. Who can tell us more about the clock?

Clock face, with winding hole

Interior, showing mechanism.
The clock sits in a metal drum, and was suspended from inside the canopy. The pendulum ran inside the drum, and it was driven by a spring, winding taking place through a hole in the face. There is no obvious maker's name (unless on the mechanism itself, which was hard to see) but there is a 5 figure serial number inside the hatch. (visible on the photograph)
The name of the manufacturer, and a date, would be of particular interest. Plus anything else readers can suggest. Were they common? Any others still in existence? etc. The figures in red are probably not original.

8 comments:

Eric O said...

Jo
The typeface for the numerals is Gill Sans Bold, which dates it after 1928-32, when it was designed by Eric Gill. An odd mixture of styles...
Eric

Jo said...

Thanks, Eric.
Of course the dial need not be an original, esp as there is nothing written on it.
Looking at the(wind up)mechanism, I'm thinking much older than the 30s.
I have a large French station clock a bit like this, and that is late 19th Century.
Any ideas among our readers?

mack said...

Don't know much about gwr clocks sorry. Sure be a nice thing to see hanging from the canopy at broadway though... Really hope after all your hard work to make broadway as authentic as possible, there's enough funds to do an authentic canopy and seat this clock where it belongs :)

Peter Lee said...

I found this site which seems to give some expertise to this subject - you may like to get in touch...

http://www.railwayclocks.net/

Jo said...

Thanks, Peter.
Believe it or not, I have actually met the chap! He is a professional, and I could ask, but let's see if the community can help first.

Rich said...

I cant tell you much about it Jo but the West Somerset Railway's Minehead station has a similar clock mounted underneath the canopy - Still accurately working and complete with red additional 24HR clock numbers as well. Would upload a photo but you cant with these Blogs, but I hope it can one day be restored and grace the new canopy of Broadway GWR station once again. Always nice to see finishing touches like this restored :)

Keith HC said...

Somewhere many years ago I heard that a lot of GWR clocks were made by Kay's of Worcester.

Jo said...

Rich,
The shape is the same, but I don't see the winding hole, and possibly an electric cable running down to it.
Maybe the winding hole is on the other side though.

As Keith HC says, I too read just now that the GWR ordered most of their clocks from Kays.