The good people of West Yorkshire had come seeking truth. But history continues to defy reason. And the search for the elusive Neddey Wells of Shepley leaves us with more questions than answers.*Where to start with this story? I fell in love with the simple but beautiful longcase clock the moment I saw it, aContinue reading “A mystery, an enigma and a Yorkshire clock maker”
Category Archives: clocks
A suitable case for treatment? Dishing the dirt on patina.
Patina – a word much loved by antique dealers and hopeful sellers on Ebay. But is it simply just another dirty word for… well, dirt? As regular readers know, I love a good old clock. The dirtier the clock when it arrives on my workbench, the better. It is the pleasure of the challenge, ofContinue reading “A suitable case for treatment? Dishing the dirt on patina.”
Going, going – are auctions under the hammer or the cosh?
I really love going to auctions. Not the fancy ones with ‘priceless’ artworks. It is the downbeat drama of the provincial saleroom, its cast of dubious characters and ramshackle artefacts that excites me. But has the pandemic finally put the traditional auction house not just under the hammer but under the cosh?* “Unwanted items, likeContinue reading “Going, going – are auctions under the hammer or the cosh?”
Antiques Roadshow or Repair Shop – which are you?
The big ‘reveal’ tells us so much about values. Where do you sit? On the Antiques Roadshow it is all about price – ‘I suppose you want to know what it’s worth?’ the expert teases. And the item’s owner salivates at the prospect. The Repair Shop has a different reveal and it’s all about sentimentContinue reading “Antiques Roadshow or Repair Shop – which are you?”
When time and sound stand still
Somehow, the owl is translucent, supernatural, a mirage, an apparition, yet at the same time more real than anything else I can remember.
Really, who actually needs a clock or watch these days?
Do we really need clocks and watches these days?
Digital displays tell you what time it is. But they don’t tell you what time it has been or what time it is going to be.
Something to celebrate – year after year
A story about one brilliant marketing idea that changed everything for the 400-day clock.
Fantastic foxes – fascinating fox facts
A fox can hear a ticking watch from a distance of 60 feet. But there are more extraordinary facts about foxes that deserve a mention.
Pick of the Clocks? More ‘Clock of the Picks’!
Every clock has its own story to tell. This one keeps its mystery, for now. I need the help of some ancestry detectives to reveal it.
Matters of life and death – a winter walk
Early in our adventure we encountered a red legged partridge, sitting like a small boulder on the clay mud track. Baggy tried to look nonchalant as we approached it while he stood guard.