Wednesday, May 20, 2020

From Apprentice Corner: Brian Loomes

Brian Loomes is a horological historian, genealogist, and a prolific author and best-known expert on British clocks. As Britain's longest-established clock dealer, his name is known by everyone connected with antique clocks.

Through his own original research in ancient records into the life and work of clockmakers he has compiled thirty reference books and hundreds of articles about antique British clocks and their makers. Several of them have become definitive texts and are used as standard reference books by museums, libraries, auction houses and collectors the world over. So much so that even many of the terms today in general use to describe certain types of clock features were first coined in these books.

Brian Loomes is not a watchmaker by trade, but our young apprentices are expected to immerse themselves into the work of Loomes, discover his style, methodology, attention to detail, and relentless pursuit of penning down horological history which would otherwise remain unpreserved.

This week we are studying ‘The Concise Guide to British Clocks’, and our apprentices are required to write down technical words and terms they have not heard before. We discuss them the following day, and we learn together.

The first four words we discussed yesterday were:

Fusee
Hood pillar
Spandrels
Foliot


(These were Chloe's picks)

Do you know what these terms refer to, without looking them up? I have to admit, I tripped up on 'spandrels' and had to ask Bobby to look it up for us. Not to make any excuses, but if the word had been in context, I am sure I would have worked it out. If you too are struggling to work it out then here is a tip- there are four on the dial of a traditional English long case clock.                          

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