Wheels wheels & wheels

29 June 2021

The Deputy Master reports on: 

Clockmakers' contribution to The Livery School Link 

The City of London has for many years addressed the huge need to help young people acquire skills, by setting up The Livery Companies Skill Council. The Council's objectives are to serve the Livery by :

  • Promoting excellence in skills across the Livery
  • Maintaining a dialogue with policymakers in government and industry
  • Engaging with the relevant government departments and bodies to establish a sound training framework
  • Securing adequate funding for apprenticeships and vocational training
  • Providing contacts and advice on training and career development
  • Strengthening the historic links with City & Guilds

As part of this initiative the Livery School Link hosts an annual exhibition at the Guildhall where thousands of young people and their teachers, from Schools around London are invited to come and meet the exhibiting Livery Companies to watch many Liverymen demonstrating their skills and to find out which trades are available to be learnt and find out about grants that are available. 

For several years The Clockmakers' Company has been exhibiting its horological skills at this event and letting young people have a go at basic engine turning , engraving and to talk to horological teachers and students alike. This event had been so successful and was about to be extended to two days - but with Covid in 2020 the event was cancelled - however this year an on line event was held on 29th June and the Clockmakers made a wide reaching presentation concentrating on watches, domestic clocks and turret clocks showing wheels as the common thread. Wheels from 0.114mm to 1 meter were shown.

The Renter Warden and Chairman of the Horological Industries Advisory Panel, Jane Pedler introduced the session giving a brief history of the Company and its apprentices, reminding the students that "We gained our Charter from Charles I in 1631 but still after nearly 400 years we have relevance to the modern world as timekeeping will always be important whether it is at the Olympics and sporting events, on the Space Shuttle, navigating the worlds skies and oceans, or simply arriving at places and appointments on time."

Jane also gave details of where and how training is available and encouraged students to visit the Clockmakers Museum.

The Senior Warden, James Nye, gave a running commentary and with a steady hand filmed the live demonstrations of watch making using a CNC machine by Freeman James Harris and demonstration of dividing and teeth cutting by hand by Freeman Johan ten Hoeve.

We were then whisked up to the top of the Clock Tower at St. Luke's in West Norwood, where Junior Warden Keith Scobie Youngs interviewed his son Callum Scobie Youngs, apprenticed through The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers' to his father. 

It was a masterful "Q & A" showing the huge barrel for the striking train that would have supported a 100kg weight when hand-wound. Callum explained how the huge wheels would have been made on a very early milling machine, and he showed the small space in which the turret clock maker needs to work with such heavy machinery  (Callum referred to winding these huge mechanisms as comparable to a work out in the gym) followed by a description of the use of auto clock winding.