Maxwell’s book marks time at city’s famous clock company

April 11, 2012 News, Time

Derby Telegraph reports on 11th April 2012

ShopFrontThere are very few things in which Derby can genuinely claim to enjoy a world-class reputation but clockmaking is one of them.

John Whitehurst established Derby as a clockmaking centre of excellence in the 18th century but it was one of his firm’s skilled craftsman who would carry on that tradition and take to the far corner of the globe.

World-leading clockmaker Smith of Derby has its handiwork displayed in many famous places, such as at St Paul’s Cathedral, in London. The firm’s story is told in a new book by Maxwell Craven.

From the 1980s to the present day, the Smith family of Derby has crafted timepieces from family heirlooms sitting on mantelpieces to magnificent works of precision engineering at St Paul’s Cathedral.

That remarkable story has been told in rich detail by Derby historian Maxwell Craven in the new book ‘The Smiths of Derby – A Journey Through Time’.

He says:

This is not a boring company history. There’s a lot of anecdotal material from what is a fascinating family. As they were running around all over the place installing these clocks, they had all these adventures. The current president Nicholas Smith’s father also kept a journal, so we have all these things written down…

John Smith’s firm was associated for more than 130 years with the Works on Queen Street before moving to Alfreton Road in 1999. It has been responsible for a series of landmark jobs from the Cathedral Quarter Hotel Clock in Derby to the Tower Clock at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque in Muscat, Oman.

Maxwell says that the clock they are most proud of is the Cathedral Clock at St Paul’s, London.

Read the full article.

‘The Smiths of Derby – A Journey Through Time’ is available at Waterstones in Derby at £25 or from the publishers:

Smith of Derby Group Ltd
112 Alfreton Road
Derby
DE21 4AU

T: 01332 345569

Learn more about Smith of Derby products and services or
T: 01332 345569
E: enquiries@smithofderby.com

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