Smith Of Derby Group
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Smith of Derby Group is a
clockmaker A clockmaker is an artisan who makes and/or repairs clocks. Since almost all clocks are now factory-made, most modern clockmakers only repair clocks. Modern clockmakers may be employed by jewellers, antique shops, and places devoted strictly t ...
based in
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, England founded in 1856. Smith of Derby has been operated continuously under five generations of the Smith family.Clockmakers since 1856
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History

John Smith (21 December 1813 - 1886)Horological Institute book review, January 2012
Chris McKay, MBHI, reviews the book 'The Smiths of Derby A Journey Through Time' for the 'British Horological Journal'
became an apprentice to John Whitehurst in 1827. He went on to be the founder of a new clockmaking company in 1856, first establishing his business in premises at 27 Queen Street in Derby.Picture the Past website
Picture showing location of John Smith's first premises in Derby
John Smith's new company flourished during the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
. When he died in 1886, his two sons, Frank and John took over the running of the family business. Under Frank Smith, the company were responsible for building the huge turret clock for
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
in 1893. Frank Smith died in 1913, and the company was run by staff until his son Alan was old enough to take over the running of the business. Alan Smith was succeeded by Howard Smith, who in turn, was succeeded by Nicholas Smith. During the 20th century, Smith and Sons expanded through the acquisition of a variety of businesses. Clockmakers William Potts & Sons, Leeds were established in 1833 and acquired by Smith of Derby in 1933;
JB Joyce & Co J. B. Joyce & Co, clockmakers, were founded in Shropshire in England. The company claim to be the oldest clock manufacturer in the world, originally established in 1690, and have been part of the Smith of Derby Group since 1965. The claim is ch ...
of Whitchurch were responsible for many clocks internationally and were acquired by Smith of Derby in 1965; George & Francis Cope were established in 1845 as producers of chronometers for the Admiralty, and joined Smith of Derby in 1984. In 1985 they acquired B & H (Derby) Ltd and became the current Smith of Derby Group. In 2013, the company acquired the historical Scottish clockmaker
James Ritchie & Son James Ritchie & Son are a firm of Clockmakers in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland. The company was established in 1809 and is Scotland's oldest turret clock manufacturer. The firm produces and maintains all sorts of clocks, including public clo ...
but continue to operate the firm as a subsidiary.


Public clock installations in Europe

* Memorial Clock, Willenhall, 1892 * Cathedral Clock at
St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...
, London 1893 * Town Hall clock in
Grampound Grampound () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Grampound with Creed, in the Cornwall (district), Cornwall district, in the ceremonial county of Cornwall, England. It is at an ancient crossing point of the River Fal and ...
, Cornwall 1894 * Glossop Town Hall, located in
Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...
*The Jubilee Clock Tower, located in
Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England. It lies on the southwestern bank of the River Thames, which at this point forms the border with Buckinghamshire. In the 2021 Census, ...
1897 * Magheralin Co, Down Church Of Ireland Clock 1901 * Trinity College Clock, Cambridge 1910 * Cathedral Quarter Hotel Clock in
Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
* Temple Court time feature at Minories Shopping Centre,
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
* Grand Brasserie Clock at
St Pancras station St Pancras railway station (), officially known since 2007 as London St Pancras International, is a major central London railway terminus on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, F ...
, London * Hourglass Clock at
Burghley House Burghley House () is a grand sixteenth-century English country house near Stamford, Lincolnshire. It is a leading example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, built and still lived in by the senior (Exeter) branch of the Cecil family and is Grade ...
near Stamford * Planisphere at
Bluewater Shopping Centre Bluewater Shopping Centre (commonly known simply as ''Bluewater'') is a large out-of-town shopping centre in Stone, Kent, Stone (postally Greenhithe, Kent, Greenhithe), Kent, England, just outside the M25 motorway ring, east south east of London ...
, Kent * Light Clock at
Royal Derby Hospital Royal Derby Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals in the city of Derby, the other being the Florence Nightingale Community Hospital. It is managed by the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust. History The original h ...
, Derby * Restoration of original medieval Salisbury Cathedral clock in Salisbury * Restoration of the
Blair Castle Blair Castle (in Scottish Gaelic: ''Caisteil Bhlàir'') stands in its grounds near the village of Blair Atholl in Perthshire in Scotland. It is the ancestral home of the Clan Murray, and was historically the seat of their clan chief, chief, the ...
Clock Tower destroyed by fire in Blair Atholl, Perthshire *
Portsmouth Guildhall Portsmouth Guildhall is a multi-use building in the centre of Portsmouth, Hampshire, England. It is located in a pedestrian square close to Portsmouth and Southsea railway station. Constructed in 1890, the building was known as Portsmouth Town ...
Bell Tower restoration, Portsmouth * "H. Samuel" clock (1963) hanging outside
Cardiff Market Cardiff Market (), also known as Cardiff Central Market () and as the Market Building, is a Victorian era, Victorian indoor Market (place), market in the Castle Quarter (Cardiff), Castle Quarter of Cardiff Cardiff city centre, city centre, capit ...
, High Street,
Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...
. * Pierhead Clock (1897) restored and reinstalled by Smith of Derby in 2011 as public art in St Mary Street, Cardiff * The DNA Clock (2011), located in the foyer of Redcar Hospital


Public clock installations in Asia

*
Nagercoil Clock Tower The Nagercoil Clock Tower, also known as also known as Nagercoil Tower Junction, is situated in the heart of the city of Nagercoil, India. The clock in the tower was presented to the Maharajah of Travancore by the European missionary, Rev. Duthi ...
, Nagercoil, India * DNA Clock at
King Faisal University King Faisal University (KFU) ( ') is a public university in Hofuf, Saudi Arabia. Founded in 1975, it is named after King Faisal bin Abdulalziz, the ruler of Saudi Arabia from 1964 until 1975. KFU was initially established with four colleges: tw ...
, Dammam, Saudi Arabia * Tower Clock at
Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque () is the List of largest mosques, largest mosque in Oman, located in the capital city of Muscat. Construction In 1992, the then List of rulers of Oman, Sultan of Oman, Qaboos bin Said Al Said, directed that his ...
, Muscat, Oman * 16 operational clocks in Mecca/
Makkah Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above sea level. Its metropo ...
, Holy Haram, Saudi Arabia * Town Clock at Dammam, Saudi Arabia * Seif Palace, Kuwait City, Kuwait *
Al-Mustansiriya University Al-Mustansiriyah University () is a public university located in Baghdad, Iraq. It traces its origin back to 1227. The modern form of the university was founded in 1963. History The original Mustansiriya Madrasah was established in 1227 (or 12 ...
, Baghdad, Iraq * Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates *
Central Bank of Oman The Central Bank of Oman (CBO; ) was established in December 1974 and began operations on 1 April 1975. It replaced the Oman Currency Board as the principal currency authority in Oman. Taimur bin Asa'ad Al Said is the current chairman of the bo ...
, Muscat, Oman * Souq Square,
Nizwa Nizwa () is the largest city in Ad Dakhiliyah Region in Oman and was the capital of Imamate of Oman, Oman proper. Nizwa is about (1.5 hour drive) from the Omani capital Muscat. The population is estimated at around 83,544 people. Nizwa is o ...
, Oman * Duthie's Clock Tower, Nagercoil * Ismaili Centre (JamatKhana), Hyderabad, Pakistan


Record-holding clocks

*
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...
: The world's largest pendulum-regulated clock is the Harmony Tower in
Ganzhou Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. His ...
, China.Largest Pendulum Regulated Clock
Detailing the Guinness world record held by Smith of Derby.
* Guinness World Records: The world's largest
steam clock A steam clock is a clock which is fully or partially powered by a steam engine. Only a few functioning steam clocks exist, most designed and built by Canadians, Canadian horology, horologist Raymond Saunders (clockmaker), Raymond Saunders for di ...
is on the North Quay at
St Helier St Helier (; Jèrriais: ; ) is the Capital city, capital of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. It is the most populous of the twelve parishes of Jersey, with a population of 35,822, over one-third of the island' ...
, Jersey. * The world's largest solar-powered clock is called 'The Beacon' and is installed as a feature clock at the University of Baghdad. * The world's largest inclined clock is at Time Square in
Al-Ain Al Ain () is a city in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and the seat of the administrative division of the Al Ain Region. The city is bordered to the east by the Omani town of Al-Buraimi. Al Ain is the largest inland city in ...
, UAE.Largest inclined clock in the world
The world's largest inclined clock in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.
* The world's highest building mounted clock above street level is 170 metres above street level and is mounted on top of Boeing's Headquarters in Chicago.Highest building mounted clock above street level
PDF of Financial Times business guide to Derby - Smith of Derby appears on Page 8.
* The world's largest mechanical tower clock is also the Harmony Tower in
Ganzhou Ganzhou (), alternately romanized as Kanchow, is a prefecture-level city in the south of Jiangxi province, China, bordering Fujian to the east, Guangdong to the south, and Hunan to the west. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong District. His ...
, China.Largest Mechanical Clock
Guardian Website coverage of the Harmony Tower clock built by Smith of Derby.
* The world's most remote public clock is owned by the Queen of
Tonga Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania. The country has 171 islands, of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in the southern Pacific Ocean. accordin ...
.About Smith of Derby
Video outlining all world records and patents held by Smith of Derby.
In addition to these clock installations, Smith of Derby also manufactures some of the world's most expensive Islamic Prayer Clocks.World's most expensive Islamic Prayer Clock
Luxury Launches Website coverage of the Islamic Prayer Clock launched by Smith of Derby in May 2011.
The Prayer Clocks are customisable and can be designed to include precious metals and gems.Islamic Prayer Clock details on Smith of Derby website
, Details of the Islamic Prayer Clock on the Smith of Derby website.


Other notable projects

*
Foucault Pendulum The Foucault pendulum or Foucault's pendulum is a simple device named after French physicist Léon Foucault, conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the Earth's rotation. If a long and heavy pendulum suspended from the high roof above a circu ...
in the Donnan and Robinson Laboratory at
Liverpool University The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University, it received Royal Charter by King Edward VII in 1903 attaining the de ...
* Rotating steel globe on the
Coliseum Theatre The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
, London Coliseum Theatre Rotating Globe
Rotating Steel Globe on the Coliseum Theatre in London.
* One Revolution Per Day pendulum sculpture in
Davos, Switzerland Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Al ...
* Eleanor Cross in
Stamford, Lincolnshire Stamford is a market town and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population at the 2011 census was 19,701 and estimated at 20,645 in 2019. The town has 17th- and 18th-century stone buildings, older timber ...
* Zoetrope in Billinghay, Lincolnshire Zoetrope sculptural installation
Zoetrope sculptural installation in Billinghay, Lincolnshire.
* Clock mechanism in Herne Bay Clock Tower replaced by the company with synchronous electric hour striking unit in 1971.Bundock, Mike (2000). Herne Bay Clock Tower: A descriptive history. Herne Bay: Pierhead Publications. . Page 18


Further reading

* *


References

{{Reflist


External links


The British Horological Institute

Smith of Derby Group

A Portrait of John Whitehurst
Clock manufacturing companies of the United Kingdom Clocks in the United Kingdom Companies based in Derby Manufacturing companies of England Design companies established in 1856 Manufacturing companies established in 1856 1856 establishments in England Turret clock makers of the United Kingdom