Stockholm day 1

We had a very nice breakfast sitting  by the landing stage over looking the lake  most tranquil. Then decided to hit the mean streets of Stockholm We have a three day ticket for the transport system and this is a great idea.

First we caught a bus to the rail station or TBana the busses run  very strictly to a time table and they actually arrive with they are supposed to. The trains are clean and efficient and also run to time.

When we got off at Gamala we found a really nice cafe for a coffee and a cake after a short wander around the  older quarter of the city.   We then took the Ferry to the open air museum at Skansk on what was the kings hunting island . There was an open air market  in the grounds with a eighteen century feel and we had some very  filling fried pancake for lunch. I am not a great fan of Zoos but  we walked around the zoo section and saw bears and wolverines as well as a few wolves otters seals  wild boar and other  animals.

We went for a walk around Stockholm to get back to the  Tbana

We were still pretty full after the  fried pancake, but we managed to pop into the Co op by the T bana and  stocked up with a few items of constables a couple of can of beer  some french cheese bread and a couple of cakes . We got back to our air B and B and had a bit of a snack then, exhausted went to bed.

Malmo to Stockholm

After a cup of coffee in Malmo we got on the train to Stockholm the station was pretty busy with a lot of Syrian people also getting on the train, we were told that it is their plan to go to Finland  travelling from Germany to Malmo by boat, then train to the tip of Sweden, it is a desperately long journey.

Getting to Stockholm was easy and also using the Tbanna was not too much of a challenge although recognising the train stations is a bit tricky , then a short bus journey, also very easy,  and we got to our Air B and B  a quick walk by the lake and we were invited  to have a meal with our hosts which we did it was most enjoyable.

Malmo

It was very warm over night and it turned in to a beautiful day, Took a time to get a ticket for tomorrow as there are a lot of people trying to get to Stockholm at the moment.  Spent the day walking the streets of Malmo and visiting the gardens,   spent some time but the sea, it was a long day of walking but very good.

had an excellent lunch of fried Haloumi cheese and  falafel in what we were told was the best falafel
shop in Malmo it took us a bit of time to find it but is was very good.

The beer here is very expensive about £12 per pint, so we tend to drink very slowly,  we spent some time  very slowly drink a beer  in a small square near the air b and b, tomorrow we take the train to Stockholm a journey of 600k.  

Copenhagen to Malmo

Good nights sleep and a very good breakfast at The Grand. Then  spent the morning and some of the afternoon visiting the National Museum in Copenhagen. Saw the most interesting and very provoking exhibition White Busses. Saw a couple of  clocks, One made in Copenhagen looked very sad with a  very badly bent  hour hand. Also noticed in a typical Copenhagen merchants room in the museum a clock  which I would have called a dutch clock, so borders were well and truly broken,  puts some  preconceptions of scale and  nationality into or perhaps out of kilter..

The grand hotel had been looking after our cases and we then  took the train to Malmo. getting a ticket was a bit fraught as the ticket  credit card system were broken and we had to pay in cash but  they were able to accept euros. the journey to Malmo was a bout 40 mins and very good. The trip from the station to our  air B and B was a bit lengthy due to the directions being a bit inadequate.

A quick foray to a grocery shop to stock up  and then I attended a very interesting meeting of the Malmo clock and watch collectors club  it was very good and I was able to  look at a very attractive  wood wheeled clock, which has  the alarm mechanism  made form box wood  a wood that is not found in Sweden. interesting . The clock was made in 1780 ish.

Birmingham to Copenhagen

We had a very relaxed start to the day, M and S one pot porridge in our hotel  it was not Haute Cuisine in the slightest, However a very short  walk and a very quick but efficient  security  check and we were in the departure lounge. Birmingham airport is very nice relaxed and  has a very nice human scale. Cup of coffee and an almond croissant  and  we boarded the flight to Copenhagen  at about 9.45  in  again a very relaxed manner.

Nice flight only an hour and a half and we were in Copenhagen,   every instruction is posted first in Danish and then in  English,  and we found that every one spoke the most perfect English  and were very helpful. The train journey to the city centre was  fast and  good, our hotel The Grand was only a couple of hundred yards from the train station. We have a very nice room  small but  very convenient.

We went out for a stroll and after a bit of lunch,  we visited a beautiful department shop which had lots of very beautiful Danish design work,   we saw some beautiful carpets  and  some interesting lighting. We  then set off for the 'little mermaid' which we found a mile or two from the city centre we had a nice walk along the waters edge. The mermaid was  heavily photographed by lots of  tourists so we did as well. We visited the Citadel on the way back and Churchillparken.  There are lots of really  fantastic  public clocks mostly heavily gilded and ornate much for the clock nerd to enjoy.

we also visited the Danish Design museum  where we saw quite a bit of danish design and also  two  very nice  but very sad english long case clocks both looking tired and neglected. One was By Daniel Quare this stood close to 8 foot tall and had a wonderful case. the other was also an imposing London made clock  which I think may have been a musical one but it also was in sad condition.

We had quite a nice evening meal along side the  canal or river which does  not sound too good but was much better than it sounds. Back home to the Grand and a good nights sleep.


 

Phase two Birmingham to Copenhagen

 Back in travel mode, yesterday we drove up to Birmingham and parked the car checked into the IBIS and hit the mean streets of Birmingham,

We visited the Jewelery Quarter and had a look at the RBSA  art exhibition.

We had a very good curry at the Maharaja Hurst Street.  which one would expect and a couple of G&T's what could be better.
tomorrow we fly to Copenhagen  only for a day then  on to Malmo and Stockholm.

Logan to Heathrow, Heathrow to Paddington, Paddington to Bristol Parkway, BP to Cheltenham, Cheltenham to Gloucester, Glos home

I suppose I have covered the longest hop today (and yesterday) mainly with the help of British Airways. BA  is very good  the only think I could criticise is the quality of the breakfast.

The flight was a bit bumpy in some places but never the less was excellent. The journey  home  due to the  Rail Strike was a bit 'fraught in the planning' but in fact was just as swift as a normal day, I wonder what that is saying,

I am fairly exhausted (is exhausted a binary,  exhausted / not exhausted?) and waiting for the final lift home.

Sleep in my own bed tonight.  

Peace Dale RI to Boston Loagan Airport.

Last day in the USA today.

As the person I was staying with had a very early start , I also had a sharp start. I only had about 70 miles to drive  today  and  as I started at 8 am and as my flight from Boston is not until 9.15 pm I have had quite a lot of time to use up.  I decided to go cross country,  instead of taking a major road  and  this has proved to be very good in the times I have done it over the last few weeks, today was no exception.

Quite a poor breakfast on the way,  one of the worst I  have had so far.  I have usually done very well with diners  this was applying however you take the rough with the smooth. However  opposite the  diner was a clock shop  so I spent a pleasant  30 mins talking clocks, running a clock business and general trade with a fellow  clockmaker, it was a good conversation, we both have similar issues with customers.

I also passed a small garage  and inside were two series two land rovers, this  resulted in a u turn and another chat with  the owner  the garage specialise in  British cars and had apart from  a few land rovers, jags and rollers and  de-lorian  which did look a bit sad.

I spent an hour wandering around a Mall, on the edge of Boston  what a horrid place that was.

I got to the airport at about 3pm far too early but  there was not much  I could do about it. I handed the car back to Alamo   without a scratch, a dent, a scrape, or a ding,  which I think  is pretty good for over 6000 miles on the wrong side of the road with an automatic car.

After I got to the terminal  I realised I was shaking with  released stress after giving the car back, which was a bit of a surprise. Now I have a few hours wait, until I fly back courtesy  British Airways to Heathrow.

I am perhaps too wound up to  write much more. Perhaps I need a small snack.......    

Haddham CT to Peace Dale RI

Quite a short trip   65 miles today, as this was my penultimate day in USA. After a slow start from my B and B  I drove  down to Rhode Island to meet up with the chap who has been  most helpful in  facilitating my WCMF trip. We spent a very pleasant afternoon in his workshop  looking at, and discussing  wood wheeled clocks.

We went out for a very pleasant meal in the evening.

Tomorrow a gently drive up to Boston for my 9 15pm flight to the UK.

Haddham to Old Sturbridge Village MA

After a very good nights sleep,  I drove to OSV  in MA    about 70 miles away.  This is a very good  living museum which has moved various  old  houses and workshops from all over the area. There is an excellent  wood mill and a blacksmiths shop as well as tin smiths and other  craft   places. The shops are all  staffed and the staff seem good and knowledgeable.

I was particularly interested in the clock collection  and I was not disappointed, this is a first rate collection with some very good examples of early clocks with wood movement.  During my visit I became very taken with a  particular clock which has a very old unnamed wood wheeled movement in a most interesting case. The case and the movement may not  be original to each other   but both were very  thought provoking.  There was also a very interesting tall case clock with a  reverse painted dial,  the clock is unsigned but looking at the movement with the roller trunnions, one has to think this was an Ives movement.

There was a very nice 'wag on the wall' timepiece clock  which was single handed hoop and spike  iron  posted frame with brass verticals  the dial was simple and   immediately reminded me of the quaker clocks  while the dial did not really have any  North Oxford  Quaker marking there was something about the clock which was very attractive.

I was very lucky to be accompanied on my visit to the clock gallery by one of the curators who had been with the OSV for over   25 years he  was able to get me a complementary ticket  for the rest of the museum,  which was kind.

We were able to take  off some of the hood of the clocks in the USA some people call them bonnets and look in detail at the movements, which was excellent.    

Haddham CT to Bristol and then to the AWCM

Good nights sleep, and an early start to visit the workshops of a highly skilled repairer of wooden wheeled clocks. He kindly demonstrated  how to cut wooden wheels on a machine made by his father , many years ago.  The machine has two cutters in a circular  saw form, (not single point) one of the cutters has an additional cutter which creates the root of the gear.  He also demonstrated the finishing  of a pinion to me. We discussed cleaning methods and  detergents and cleaning procedures. He also showed me  the various forms of bushing that was possible. His experience suggests that some of the clocks were fitted with  brass bushes from the factory as a sort of sale gimmick.  


This man has repaired over 4000 clocks during his time at the bench and he clearly know what he is doing. It was a most interesting visit, and I have learnt a great deal from it.  It was nice to be invited  into a working clockmakers workshop, during a busy day and to be given so much of  his time.

It might very well  be that a highlight was going to Dunkin Donuts in his 1922 Dodge Brothers car, this was a real treat (not just the donut), but to  be driven  in a 1922 car in 2015 traffic was interesting. He has no fear.  

I had a very nice omelette in a family diner, I travelled cross-country from the workshop back to the AWCM. The  few cross country drives  that I have done  are much better than the  drives on express ways. I feel I have seen much more of the houses and every day things, during my cross country forays.

At the AWCM I had a talk with the executive director about the ideas of collection versus museum practice. It transpires that perhaps a lot of  collections struggle with the idea of conservation and setting things in a museum context with a collection philosophy is not really working, or has not worked.

I also had a very  good conversation with one of the foremost researchers on wood clocks, she is a specialist on the sociology of clockmaking, we were able to share some good information it was a most interesting and stimulating visit.

Back home to the Air B and B    

Haddam CT to Bristol CT AWCM

I had a very good nights sleep and a good drive  25 miles  to the American Watch and Clock Museum near Bristol CT, As it was Sunday, traffic was very light and it was a joy to drive on nearly empty roads.

This is a very good museum and I enjoyed a very nice wander around  before I met one of the curators who showed me around. He   was able to point out things in much more  detail,  and also let me see the reserve collection of wooden clock movements.  There were some very interesting wooden tower clock movements  which I found very interesting. They tend to date from about 1820 so do not predate the wood wheeled movements found in tall and shelf clocks.

We spend some time discussing the manufacture and painting of a dial and considered where the  materials  which went in to dial painting originated. When you consider a painted  dial in some detail there are a large number of  elements to it. From the  dial paint ground  right through to the materials needed for colours and gesso. All of these things needed to be sourced,  and very few  records  remain,  or have been so far found, that give any indication from where they came.

Nice drive back to air b and b

  

Drive from Bird in Hand PA to Haddam CT

Quite a long  drive,  and I was a bit concerned that if I had just put the final destination in to the Sat nag it would demand that I went  via  New York City, which  after my last experience, I  was very keen to avoid.  This meant that I had to  do a bit of jiggery-pokery to make sure I went up, and along as opposed going down and along.  Highly technical mapping technique there.

The weather was not good it rained pretty all the the way.  I left Bird in Hand  at about 8.15am and arrived here at 5.15pm , I did have a few back tracks and false  decisions, in fact at the end of the journey the sat nag and I are barely on speaking terms.  However, being a saturday not very many trucks on the road which is a great advantage.

I suppose one of my  memories of the very many  over 4.5K miles I have driven so far, is 'trees', there are millions of trees  everywhere  is wooded  even the pasture places I have driven through are well wooded it is very beautiful.  

The other think I have noticed  recently is the   places selling fire works to be let off tonight 4th July. I drove across country  to day and there were many of theses pop up shops in  covered tents, selling fireworks   I did not really stop to look in detail but the size of these fire works seem huge. I am writing this at about 20.58 on  July 4th and  the sound of the fireworks is all around, I suppose being a Brit I had better keep my head down.....

I am off to the American Watch and Clock Museum tomorrow.

Day three in the library NAWCC

Another very good day in the Library, If you like Clocks,  books about clocks,  Tools, books about tools,  and  not only that Clocks, Books and Tools  all in the same place  than the NAWCC is a good place to visit.

I read all the back issues of the Cog Counters  Journal  as well as loads of other interesting stuff


Back to my Air b and b and they had  still not sorted out the lack of internet, which is very frustrating to say the very least.

Long days drive tomorrow up or across to Bristol CT.

Day 2 NAWCC museum

Spent a very good day in the museum, It is amazing how much time you can spend reading if there is nothing else you want to do, and there is a room full of books that you are keen to get your hands on.

The Cog Counters are the chapter  of the NAWCC who are particularly interested in wood wheeled clocks and their news letters going back to 1974 are a treasure house of information. I am just about to start volume two there are six more volumes to go.

Sadly the air B and B have not sorted their internet out, which means that evenings are spent reading the kindle, which is ok but when the place promised wi fi and does not deliver I feel slightly cheated.

   

Day 1 at the NAWCC Columbus PA

I was staying in a Comfort Inn  last night, which   not  bad apart from the  fire alarm, where we all left the building and stood around for 30 mins until someone arrived with the keys to  turn off the alarm, no one said a thing  to the guests, we just gradually filtered back in.

The NAWCC museum is very good with a wide selection of   clocks watches and tools, very interesting there were also a few very old wood clocks and a few modern ones so that was a real result.

I had a very good meeting with the the Museum Director and the Museum Curator both were very welcoming. We discussed a number of matters  and agreed that there is a need for a training course with a qualification for  people working with in a horological collection environment.  The concept of conservation being at the heart of this.  There is the  problem of balancing the need for  visitor foot fall over the need to protect the artefacts and to make sure that the environment where they are displayed is both accessible to the visitors but also  protects  the  item.

I had lunch in a very nice  pharmacy  shop and cafe  not far form the museum  is was very interestingly laid out.

Back at the museum in the afternoon, I was able to take lots of photographs and the curator even went as far as to remove some items from display so that I could photograph them, which was kind.  The NAWCC librarian explained the layout of the library, so that I could go to work tomorrow

I had a very good chat with the new editor of the NAWCC magazine  and we agreed that  subject to a few agreements over rights and possible payments,  I might do some writing for her.

I am staying in Bird in  Hand  which is very close to Intercourse  some 17 miles from the museum.  The village used to be called 'Cross Keys', until they changed the title  to  'Intercourse',  as they say round here  'enjoy'   there you go!

Sadly   the  Air B and B has got internet problems and so  that was a bit of a pain.  

Warren to Muncy PA and then Columbus PA

I decided to make a pretty early start from Warren OH and was on the road at about 7 am I was aiming for Mauncy PA  where there is a very large  tool shop that I wanted to visit. I have been trying in the UK  to get and insert for the lathe spindle of my colchester, and have so far been unsuccessful. However, I was told that this company have them as a spare part for a lathe they sell, I was told that there were three in stock.

Arrived at  the shop at about 1.30pm  it was a fair drive.. Sadly some of my information was correct, not all,  but some,  there were certainly   three  in stock, that was the good news.  However,   not at that depot. However,   they would post them to me I managed to get a friend  in Peace Dale RI to agree to have them sent to him for me to collect.

I then drove on to Columbus PA which is the home of the NAWCC museum and HQ which I plan to  visit tomorrow. I think I have driven close to 400 miles today.  as I did not get to bed until 2 am yesterday and  am looking forward to a good nights sleep.

I am staying in a 'comfort inn' tonight.......

Columbus Ohio to Warren Ohio

Today was a very good day, I drove from Columbus Ohio  to Warren which is just on the border  with Pennsylvania, the drive took about 3.5 hours.

I met my host for the day who took me to meet a highly skilled clock repairer who now specialises in the repair and conservation on wood wheeled clocks. He has done a huge amount of work in new methods of cutting wood  wheels and has even printed some new wheels on  a  3D printer in blue plastic which as far as I am aware is pretty new stuff, for us in horology anyway. I am not sure quite how we might use this but the technology is followed by a use,  possibly. The clock restorer also uses  CNC and  a very sophisticated technological drawing application   'solid works' and similar to enable him to create  the 3D images. There is much to thing about with this. I was also able to see and Ives movement in bits  Ives was the first american clockmaker to use roller trundles in his clock work although Harrison had used them nearly 100 years before......

On the way there and back I was treated to a master class on different housing styles in the area, which has a large Amish community.

Once back at my host's house we spent hours looking at his clock collection,He has a particular interest in clocks made locally to his area, he is  also a clock dial specialist and I learnt a great deal, not just about dials but also  the furniture of the very local area, and the surrounding 50 or so miles. He and his wife have  a very  interesting collection, all housed in a historic house, my favourite bit was a pastry cutter made with a wooden clock wheel! , we did not finish chatting to 2 am.  

Nashville to Columbus Ohio

This was going to be a long day and it was, but  being a Sunday there was not too much traffic on the roads,  however the lorries were ever present and all driving at at least 70 mph, some well over 80mph.

I started at 7 am and  stopped for a bit of cereal  at about nine,   I then stopped for a coffee and a couple of biscuits  at a Cracker Barrel  at 11am .  I phoned  one of the people who I wanted to talk with and he was more than happy to  chat to me today, this was very good as it has saved me about 140 miles  drive.

I got to New Carlisle  at about  3 pm and we had a very good conversation I put a few of the ideas I have been developing to him and  some he agreed with others  he did not However we did consider that the DNA of the American wood wheeled clock has a lot of British  in it a very  small part of German but a surprisingly large element of Scandanavian  which I am going to explore  further. He kindly showed me  some of his vast clock  collection.

I was also contacted by the person I had arranged to meet on the tuesday he  again readily agreed to meet on monday this is a very good piece of news as it makes the visit that much more effective.

I got to my Air B and b at about 7.30. The room is very nice. I am looking forward to a good sleep.

Nashville day two

Another good nights sleep, thank the lord for AC, I wonder if there is a patron saint for AC.   Quite a slow start as I caught up on lots of personal admin I had been putting off.

A quick drive to  Carter Vintage Guitars to take some more photographs of the   wooden clock movement  mounted on a guitar shape The clock was hand made by Bill Randle of Cookervill TN and was originally on sale for $1900.

I did however make a purchase of a tee shirt, or two.

I had a couple of swift coffees in the coffee house next door and then I went on a drive.   There were a couple of shops that I wanted to visit and I drove some miles out of town to find them.

Back to the air b and b in the afternoon and then out  down town  for a pizza  for tea, found a pizza place which had music, bit of  shock that.

 

Nashville day 1

I had the best nights sleep I have had for a long time last night. The Air B and B I am staying in at Nashville is beautiful but more importantly it has Air Conditioning.  I had always been rather sniffy about AC,  but sleeping in the hot and humid environment is nearly impossible especially if you are not used to it.

It was very hot, it is odd how often I mention the heat in these blogs but the heat is amazing I am just not used to it and seem to be melting. I walked into town which is perhaps about two miles and boy I was dripping when I reached the country music hall of fame and museum which being in Nashville I just had to visit. It was a good experience  I saw some superb memorabilia. I  did walk along the Broadway where every shop  every bar and even the side walks team with Country music it was great and I very much enjoyed it.

However my real intention was to visit the FRIST centre in Nashville to see and exhibition of post cards and work by the Wiener Werkstatte (the vienna workshops) formed about 1897   this is a fore runner of the Bauhaus movement and some of the artists  who were WW artist and designers may have  crossed to the Bauhaus  and most certainly  influenced  it, the WW movement  influenced  English and Scottish  designers  C  R Mackintosh and  others.   Some of the post card work is beautiful if very stark however other work is bright but very figurative.

I had a nice sandwich for lunch and then saw the exhibition, it was stunning and I very much enjoyed seeing the cards and some of the other work.

There was also an exhibition on Italian clothing design which was worth a look.

The FRST have a very interesting gallery designed for children to make and experience art work, it was well worth a visit to see what  hands on experiences could  be part of a museum provision.  

The walk home was exhausting and I had to stop for a gelato to keep the inner man cooled.

New Orleans to Nashville

This was always going to be a long day, and it was.  It was a very hot night and sleep was difficult.

Sharp start up a 5.45am for a   breakfast at seven   Granola  and then I  was taken to the Louis Armstrong  airport New Orleans,  nice wait for the flight, sadly I was not upgraded to premier economy!  but    all of the seats on the plane were  much wider and had more leg room that you normally get, in my very limited experience.

Nice flight, I was given a window seat and the flight being a day time one, I was able to see a lot of the country as we flew over  it.

Bit of a kerfuffel finding the correct shuttle bus to get from the airport to the hotel where I had paid for car parking, but eventually reunited with the car which was where I left it and  all was fine. eventually left Atlanta at about 4pm

Getting out of Atlanta was a long a very slow  process, due to the amount of traffic and the constant road improvements being carried out,  but eventually on the road to Chattanooga, which is the way to Nashville, this was convent as I was able to make a short detour and collect an adaptor and lead   that I had  left behind on my stay.

I got to Nashville at about 9.45pm and had a very nice welcome from my Air B and B hosts. Very nice room with Air Conditioning. I really  did not appreciate how important AC in this sort of climate, although I dread to think what is the cost of electricity. Not much to eat today, as I  think  I have rather overdone the bread over the last few days.

I am looking forward to a good, cool , nights sleep.

New Orleans Day 2

Very hot night. Today was museums Architecture and Art Galleries and a few other minor ventures! We had a very good walk in the central park and saw a number of very old 800yr old Oak trees they are still alive in what I would consider such a hostile,  if you consider the constant hot temperature, environment.  Although as New Orleans seems to be built on a swamp I suppose the oaks after all this time got their feet in the water.

I have to admit that by mistake we visited the Confederate History Museum when we thought we were visiting the one next door. We were watching the welcome video when it dawned on me that perhaps we might be in the wrong place, we were! the museum we wanted was next door. I suppose that for some people the confederate museum is a place of great pilgrimage.  Most of the exhibits were as you might expect, civil war related, and  were a very sad  but poignant reminder of the history of USA.

We then visited the museum next door which was the New Orleans Museum of Modern Art, this was a great disappointment, expensive to get into and a very small collection. Sad.

Slow trip home  via a book shop which we were told had a good selection of clock related books, this information proved to be a false lead  which was  marginally disappointing. A  visit to a local stain glass artist 's workshop was very interesting.   Out for an early evening meal at a local restaurant very nice.

again a very hot night.    

New Orleans

Beautiful day here  I got my  times all mixed up and woke up my cousin an hour earlier than we had agreed however they were very  nice about it. We took Jezebel the Staffie for a walk but she was not keen it is amazing how a Staffie who does not want to go for a walk can dig her heels in.

Breakfast with Tim and Laura in a nice cafe. Laura then dropped us of for a mornings wandering in the french Quarter of New Orleans, the French seem to have a fair bit of influence  here but I am told in fact it was mainly the Spanish influence which prevailed.

Saw  couple of rather nice clocks in an antique shop there was a very attractive Vullimay  mantle clock with some very nice water - silk  pattern   engine turning on the silver dial. We also went in to a hotel which has a bar where the seats revolve around the bar which is pretty confusing.

In the hotel lobby there was a huge carved long case clock must have been nine foot tall, will try and find out something about it today.

Coffee in a very nice place which served what if you were in Spain would be churros but here are called something else, in Spain  you would have it with chocolate  but here we had it with coffee. Surprisingly we easily found and empty table in the cafe which was full , it was not until we both started to melt that we realised  that our table was the only one which did not have a working fan, and by golly did we need a fan. We then visited Carols's gallery  and looked at the artwork

It was staggeringly hot, we saw a Mississippi steam boat  moving down the river. Managed to get a couple of clock books in a second hand book shop in the french quarter.

Saw a few galleries  with some good work and  lots of very nice  houses the iron work around the balconies and the porches was very intricate I wonder where it came from.

Came back to Tim's place, for a break from the heat which had become to be very sultry,  and there was huge thunderstorm which cleared the air a bit. Tim tells me that there rain fall here is twice what falls i manchester, and with the amount that flee in a very shirt time I can believe it.

In the evening we went out to a restaurant and had a very nice fish related meal then on to a old house  or mansion called The Coloumns where there were a duo of very good  musician playing  it was a very nice end to a very nice day.

Pelham to New Orleans

I had a pretty sharp start from Pelham near Birmingham Alabama where I was staying, so that I could cover the 150 odd miles to Atlanta airport where I was to catch the plane to New Orleans Louisiana.  The day was scorching hot and very bright.  I stopped at a Cracker Barrel about 60miles short of Atlanta for some breakfast. I suppose I really only wanted some coffee, but the nice lady  persuaded me to have a couple of biscuits where are like scones made with buttermilk they are nice. I rather compounded my failings with two pancakes which come with maple syrup, there were also nice. Feeling now rater bloated I completed the rest of the journey leaving the car in the holiday inn car park. 

I got to the airport in good time and passed through security which is pretty tight even for a domestic flight. On checking in, another nice lady gave me an upgrade to premium economy, 10E for those in the know which was a very nice seat loads of leg room and a wide seat placed just behind the first class, I was also given a free gin and tonic. What is not to like?.  Thank you Delta

My cousin Tim met me at the airport and drove me the short distance to his beautiful home, we spent some time catching up. Going out in the evening for a very nice egg plant pannini,   aubergine we call it.

I am staying in the guest flat of the house next door, it was a very hot and humid night.

Pelham area Birmingham Alabama

After a good night sleep I  travelled a few miles up the interstate to meet  the author of a very important book on clocks. I had been invited to meet him and talk clocks.

We had a very good discussion he showed me a Asa Munger clock which was similar to the one  I had seen in another collection, we discussed the  clock and why it was so different to others made at the same time.

There is now very little doubt in my mind that there were some  pretty important influences on early American clockmakers some from  the 'British'  clock makers but  some also from 'German' ones. I am hoping that I can uncover some of  these links.

I am also tending to the opinion that a lot of clockmakers in small communities chose  apprentices from their own religious affiliations,  as often the apprentice may well marry the clockmakers daughter, and few of the religions condoned 'marrying out' but again this is just a theory.  The theory is  supported by the practice of the Quaker clockmakers of North Oxfordshire  in the UK.

There was a much greater free flow and exchange of information between clockmakers,    how? we do not know,   but I am sure that there was.



My clockmaker friend kindly gave me a book on the identification of wood wheeled clocks which was a handsome gift.

I was invited to stay for lunch, which I did and was treated to a good southern barbecue.



I have   today read  most of  'The Shop Records of Daniel Burnap'. I bought this book at the NAWCC national for an exorbitant sum.  It throws some very interesting light on early  american clockmaking although DB was making brass clock and not wood ones, he might have had a hand in  training Eli Terry who certainly did make wood wheeled clocks.

I spent the later afternoon catching up on emails.

Tomorrow  driving to Atlanta airport and then flying to New Orleans.
   

Day three at Chattanooga then drive down to Birmingham Alabama

I made a final visit to the NAWCC Mart and did eventually make a small purchase, which I hope given time will be  working in my house.

On the first evening I met up with Peter Nunes and a few of his friends one of whom was  going to be selling in the mart, On my first trip to the mart I was looking at an object on his table, It was clearly a tail stock device for a WW bed lathe of some sort  I freely admitted I had no idea what use it might be , I rather think he did not have much of an idea either, we agreed it might be used as a paper weight, I spoke to him on the last day and he gave me the tail stock, he did not want to take it back home  so I will bring it back to the UK I still have not real idea what it is.

Back to the hotel to check out

There is no doubt that the electric  shuttle busses in Chattanooga are a superb transportation method  they are free,  seem to run every five mins and the drivers seem to have autonomy to change routes if the situation requires it. I came back from the convention  last night with a lot of other people  the bus driver was supposed to be going to the aquarium but as she had so many people who wanted to go to the Choo Choo she just went there instead which was pretty cool...

I checked out of the hotel got about 100 yards away, still in the hotel complex,   When I noticed  a warning light on the dash board that one tyre was low, I found a garage and blew up the tyre I could see that there was a nail in the tyre. I went back to the Hotel to ask for a some assistance as I felt I had picked up the nail in their car park, the hotel is undergoing considerable renovations,

I have to say I had to work hard to get much help from the senior receptionist, there was no one who would help to change a tyre, she would accept no responsibility or liability for the damage to the tyre.  Eventually after me standing at the reception desk for about 20 mins, looking very unhappy, she eventually  rang a local tyre company who might be able to carry out a repair. She also  eventually  said that her maintenance staff would  blow up the tyre  if needed. I got to the tyre depot and they patched the tyre  after withdrawing a 4 inch nail.   I have no doubt I got the nail in the  hotel car park.

The drive down to Birmingham was good I stopped off  on the way to have some lunch at a 'cracker barrel' I had a coffee (refillable) and a very nice  below 380 calorie meal  for about $16 which I felt was really good, the service was excellent and the meal was also excellent.

I got to the air  b and b  I was apparently early and the hosts were cleaning the room they were very kind and helpful  no problems. It transpired that I has passed through a time change and I was  one hour out, my watch was saying  5 pm when I had agreed to arrive, however the local time  was 4 pm

I went out and did a little bit of provision shopping

good nights sleep

Day 2 at the NAWCC

Another very good day at the Convention. I visited the mart for a few hours and saw a rather nice 8 day movement  with wooden wheels made by Hoadly early 1800's , it was far too much for me to think about buying, priced at over $1000, but of course that is the asking price, not what might be the eventual selling price.

I had some very good conversations with people on the sales tables.  I met an ex West Dean  clocks student and lots of interesting and friendly people.

I attend a lecture by Phillip Priestly about the impact of the american watch industry on the british watch industry, while on the face of it, the subject is not much to do with my research, quite the reverse is true,  in fact  Phillip touched on a number of factors that have a definite impact on my research. In particular the free flow of  activity in the early 1800 back and forth, to and from the USA England the the mainland of Europe. This free flow is clearly documented,   american workman trained in the USA   did more training in  England  and also in Europe.

American watchmakers  / business men  bought factories in  the UK to try and make watches  using american  mass production methods in the UK for the European market?  They also returned to the USA  often, bought machinery in Europe and America for their factories. If this is true for  watch makers then why not for clockmakers?.

More mart work in the later afternoon.

I also visited the craft competition and spoke with a couple of the  competition winners one had made a very interesting lyre shaped musical clock, the other  had made lots of cutters for making wood mouldings,

I had a very interesting conversation with a Canadian clockmaker who had masterminded the reconstruction of an American wood wheeled movement for the Governor Generals Office in Ottowa. We had a very long chat and made some very useful contacts.

I attended the National Convention Banquet and the awards ceremony

Then back to the choo choo.


 

Day 1 NAWCC Chattanooga

A good nights sleep and a pleasant electric  shuttle bus ride to the convention centre in time to meet up with Peter,  Phillip and friends  and  get a cup of coffee from a diner

I spent a fair time looking at the display of railway related clocks and watches  the display was excellent.

The craft fairway also excellent there were some stunning entries I was really impressed   with a lyre experimental clock, I have arranged to meet wight eh maker and I hope I can write up the clock for the HJ.
There was also a phenomenal display of cutters used in a table saw to make mouldings I did have a chase to talk with the maker.

I then spent three hours  touring the mart. The mart is a pretty big affair with plenty of clocks and clock parts for sale. Sadly there were on a very few wooden clock movements  for sale but I did manage to make a small purchase of one which is a movement out of a shelf clock. I also managed to buy a couple of books. Every one I have spoken with have been kind and helpful I have been mistaken for being Australian  which is a bit surprising, do I really sound  Australian?

I attended a very interesting Cog Counters meeting where we had a lecture with slide presentation on the making of clock cases with  exotic woods  the presentation was very impressive.

Evening meal in the Hotel restaurant follows  I had fish and chips, which is nothing like the fish and chips we have at home, but not bad never the less. Some of our party had desert of carrot cake. The portion was more than a slab it was a mega slab, as the person who was eating it is a medical doctor I presumed it must be  health food having all those carrots.... I did not indulge.

The rest of the evening was spent in a convivial manner, discussing clocks,  clocks makers and putting with world to rights.

Back at the hotel via the free  electric shuttle at approx. 11.30  a very good day

Bristol VA to Chattanooga TN

Only 230 miles to day so quite a relaxed drive down. The Econo Hotel at Bristol was 'interesting' I will leave it at that.

On the drive down , it is still quite unnerving to be passed by a huge truck (with sharp pointy studs on the front wheel nuts) at  well over 80mph going up hill , and pulling away at that.  Seen quite a few good bumper stickers one on the back of a truck loaded with dirt and spoil 'keep 300 feet back I am not responsible for your broken windscreen' paraphrased.

I also passed the turning advertising  'Dolly world' sadly I did not have enough time visit.. this time.

I got to the hotel at about 12.45 and had to wait before my room was ready this gave me the chance for a brief stroll, but it was really too hot for more than a very brief meander before I returned to the hotel and did a bit of work on the computer in the lobby which was air conditioned.

I registered at the convention ( travelling to the convention centre by free electric bus) and attended the presidents reception  The concerns raised at the Presidents reception mirror the same concerns that we have in the UK falling membership and  a problem in attracting new members. Education was seen as a way forward and I am sure that this is where the BHI should be able to find a niche with the distance learning programme.  

I also attended the key note talk.

This was a talk about railways and time, very interesting. In the abstract we all know that the coming of national time was as a result of the requirement for railways to have a set time, obvious.

However the speaker who has worked on railways since 1970  rising to be the top chap at southern and northern railways,  made the very good point that  the watches held by each rail way workers also needed to be set at the same time,  trains needed to pass each other at a set times,  maintenance work needed to be carried out when trains were not expected to use the line,  watches held by workers needed then to be both accurate  and synchronised.

I met at the key note talk and english chap who lives in Newbury, sitting next to him by chance.

I then met Peter Nunes and some of his friends  at a diner.

Front Royal to Bristol VA

Reasonable nights sleep in the Cool Harbor Hotel at Front Royal. The room was clean and  spacious. I had decided to take the skyline drive from Front Royal this is a scenic drive throughout the shenandoa national park it is along the ridge line, at placed reaching 3500  feet. The views  are  superb there are over looks at various points  and you can see for miles  it was a bit misty. It takes a while to get in to just bumbling along but after a while I started to pull into the over looks both to have a look and to jot down a few ideas in my note book so  while I spent a long time to travel 100 miles I managed to download quite a bit of stuff. I would have likes to drive the Blue ridge parkway but was told that would take four days!

The next bit was a 250 mile dash to bristol along the interstates. These are generally two lane and can be a bit aggressive, with the truckers wanting to go at the max speed limit of 70mph  or even more, they tend to push you along a bit. They also seem to like overtaking each other on hills which causes a tail back as they struggle to pass.  I am pretty sure that they can travel at well over 80 mph. I seem to be the only person trying to stick to the speed limit, which the sign posts say is enforced by Aircraft. I have seen a few unmarked police cars  which had stopped cars ( thus were now revealed)  and were all flashing blue and red.

Econo Hotel Bristol   is a bit basic. clean where you can see, but I had to move a bedside cabinet to get at a power socket and it was filthy.

I have a 225 mile dash to Chattanooga as the next phase.

Hartford to Columbia NAWCC and then to Front Royal

I normal write the blog the day after, monday is written on tuesday. However  this one is written  on the day  it happened. today has bee CHALLENGING.

I left Hartford  setting the Sat Nav (SN)  at 6.30 am  the SN told me I should be at the NAWCC museum  about 11.30am. I did not think to check the route that the SN was going to take me. She decided to take me on to Route I95 which took me through New York, New Jersey, and all points that I did not want to be in. What made it word was the weather was foul rain  mini thunder storms rain and bright sun And the authorities knowing I was  on the road decided to shut  two of the lanes on the George Washington Bridge for emergency repairs. the up shot of this was theta I sat in traffic  trying to get on to the bridge for about three hours. could not go back could not really more than inch by inch  forwards.

I gave up trying to get to the NAWCC Museum when the  SN was predicting an arrival at about 3.30pm

I re set the SN for Front Royal  and then sat in  more traffic around many beltways expressways that were anything but express  and the cost of Tolls I cannot talk about.

I eventually reached the Cool Harbor Motel at about 8.15pm  Shattered after narly  14 hours in the car and very little progress.
Challenging is an understatement

Lessons learnt
do not try and fit too much into a day.
check the route that the SN is proposing to take, I should have tried to put in a route  that was a bit less stressful. to see a sign for NewYork City 42 miles will, if you are a boy living in the Forest of Dean make your blood run cold. and then hot and then cold again.

to sit in traffic in the bronx for  three hours is also not that exciting .

Hartford to Boston and back again.

Sadly due to the fact that she has to go to work  (someone has to).... Julie had to fly back to the UK today. So we  spent the morning booking places along my proposed route for the next couple of days.  we had  a stroll to  visit to the Elizabeth Gardens in West Hartford, the weather was very very hot and we seemed to be the only people who were  walking.  The gardens, in particular the rose gardens were very good.

The drive to Boston was also pretty good I dropped JC at her terminal in good time for the flight, it was not much fun driving away.

I had made an appointment to change my hire car as the 'muffler' was banging on the chassis and I think a shocker was broken. While I was talking to the Alamo people, I mentioned that problems that I had  experienced actually getting in contact with them on the phone, I did not make much of a fuss but they exchanged the car to an upgraded model a very nice Nissan  they also waived the requirement to return the car with a full tank a very nice and appreciated gesture.

The return journey to Hartford seemed to take a lot longer there was a fair bit of traffic on the road but I got  back to the B and B at about 8pm.

Meeting in Cheshire

I had a very good meeting in Cheshire with Tom Grimshaw who spent the whole day kindly answering my questions and  showing me his collection of very interesting wooden clocks and their cases.

We spent a long time talking about the production chronology and this has helped me to get  some of my ideas in a logical time line. We talked about what has been described as an erroneous  assertion that the whole of the american clock industry owed its roots to the german clock industry. This assertion    is likely not correct.  The american clock  industry  is many parented,  certainly there may have been an influence from the German /black forest makers, and one that the second part of my  research might help me to unravel. But possibly more important is the influence of Scottish Irish Welsh and English clockmakers not to mention those from Holland and other countries, who all emigrated to the USA.

We had a long and enjoyable  discussion about  practical conservation Tom's suggestion of doing right by the makers is one that I can go along with. We discussed preservation and both sensible despair and restoration. I think I will have to include in my headings for thought the input from collectors who seem to form a far more important part of those interested in Wood clock movements. I also need to factor in he importance and influence of volunteers working along side conservators and the discussions that need to be had as well as the guide lines  that both need to be aware off.

It was a very good day  however I could not have got the benefit of it has I not spent valuable time with Peter Nunes last week.

A superb day, thank you  Tom

Newport RI to Hartford Connecticut

Bridge works started a t 6.30 very noisy.

We had a breakfast in the town and  then went to see 'Breakers' this was a house built in Newport in  the 'gilded age' by the Vanderbilts  The house has been preserved by  the Preservation society of newport and they have some 10 other mansions in their care. The tour was superb the hand held devices move you on at a old pace and you can select to get more information about an item if you want it.  I was really impressed  by the house and its state of preservation. the cost of the  visit seemed expensive at about $25 but well worth it as you could have visited another house on the same day. Sadly none of the clocks were working, there were some superb examples of  usually french clocks  I did notice a tall clock which I think was Dutch.

A quick lunch soup and  a roll was fine  an even quicker visit to the supper market next foo for more supplies and we were back on the road to Hartford Connecticut.

We took the interstates this time as the journey was a fair way  the roads are very good the directions are pretty clear as well. The speed limits were a bout 65 on the interstate with a  minimum of 55  very few people seems to stick to the speed limits but we did not see any really  fast cars the average might be a bout 70 mph.

Quite a good journey Getting throughout he out skirts of hartford was a bit complicated but we  got here. The air B and B we are in a like something out of a film set it is huge and dark apart from our room which was very light. This is a problem as it is also very very hot, sleeping will be a struggle.

One of Peters contacts Tom Grimshaw has invited me to look at his collection of wooden clocks  tomorrow and if we have time he will take me to the American Clock and Watch Museum

a short walk in to a local shopping area, we just made happy hour at a local irish bar two pints of Guinness for $6 was a real treat we then went and had tea at a deli shop restaurant  called Tangiers international, a small plate of babba ganoushka and a bean stew were enough to hit the spot.  A very slow stroll back to the B and b  to look at the houses , and also as it was so hot.

The room was like an oven , and is very close to an intersection on Prospect Road so the traffic is pretty constant, it was very hot and sleep was not easy especially  as periodically  police sirens? were going off out side.

 

Newport to Peace Dale

I had arranged to meet with Peter Nunes who is a researcher and collector of wooden wheeled clocks and also a repairer of tower or public clocks and old american clocks. This was the first time that I had driven on my own and I was a bit apprehensive but the sat nav or what is over here called  the GPS got me there with only a couple of mistakes, these  where were my fault not the  fault of the rather stern lady who shouts instructions at me.

Peter is a great chap and was very happy to share  his knowledge with me. It was super going into a workshop where on the shelves were dozens of examples of wood clocks.  Coming from the environment were we have very few examples ,  to see loads and some in various stages of  disassembly was a real treat. It meant I could examine some of the gears with my eye glass and marvel at the crispness of the gear cutting and the craftsman ship.

The day went too fast I was shown example after example, the workman ship on these clocks is superb the  wood is of very good quality, the plates are usually oak about 1/4 to 3/8 thick the large gears were cherry and the  pinions were american laurel which is like a Rhodenderon there are some examples of Maple being used  and some other more exotic woods. I think the clock makers who made individual clocks used what ever they could find. The dials were american pine and the  dial strengthening strips were dovetailed into the dial this was very interesting . there was also very little evidence of worm damage in any of the examples of the clocks I saw.

One of the most interesting clocks for me was one made by Asa Munger which was so like a black forest clock that I am convinced  more  and more of the links between the clock makes in Europe and in America is far greater than had been allowed.

Peter showed me a couple of the techniques he uses when restoring the clocks removing the incorrect brass bushes and inserting oak inserts  setting them out with a centre finder, we also discussed cleaning and  polishing of clocks and the  general consideration of conservation.  Peter also gave me the names of people who he suggested I should talk to while in the USA.

Peter took me to his  traditional house to see some other clocks and I saw a beautiful modern ( 1960) wood clock which I was very taken with.  This also helps me with my interest in modern wood cocks

Back home to Newport   and a picnic  tea which was great with a clue of beers and sitting next to the river perfect well the positioning of the hose was perfect the noise from the bridge works was not.

From Cape Cod to Newport Rhode Island

We left our Band B quite sharp at about 9.30.. and took a gentle route to Newport we did to want to rush and I wanted to go to the workshop of Keith Fenner  Turn Wright Machine Shop which was at Dennis  on the other side of the Cape. I met Keith and came away with a couple of stickers.. I have followed his videos for a while and have learnt lots of techniques form him via u tube.

Travelling the A roads as opposed to the free ways and interstate you see a slightly different side of things development  of shops stores  are all along the roads  in fact it is quite hard to notice where one  begins and the other ends. We stopped for coffee in a new mall outlet which was a strange experience the place was very quiet, all the normal shops but very few shoppers.

We reached Newport at about 4.30 and  met our host for the B and B the room was right on the waters edge we were perhaps 40 feet from the river its setting was excellent. However the room was spartan and there was no method of making a drink and if we could there were no cups. We later found out there was no internet either. Julie was not impressed with the cleanliness of the place and we discovered later that the sheets on the bed  felt damp. Also on the negative side they are working on the main  bridge which is about two miles away, but sounds carry over the water and the noise was terrific.

We walked in to town  had a cup of tea in a cafe and managed to get internet. this enabled me to make an appointment to meet with Peter Nunes the next day  we walked along the main street for a mile or so and bought a small amount of supplies  milk and beers, We had tea in Willys authentic burgers, the service was appalling and the food very very average. this was our worst meal so far.

Wandered back to the B and B had a beer sitting on  chairs right next to the river, while were were there we kept seeing a  small rabbit, it did not seem particularly bothers about us and seemed to  survive  there happily.  

Coastguard beach to Marconi beach.

As the next few days were were going to be in the car, a lot we decided that some physical exercise was in order. I suppose one thing which in the abstract I had thought about was the large distances which I would have to travel, thinking about it is one thing,  driving it is another.

We hired bikes from a  hire shop and decided to visit the seventh best beach in the USA which is Coastguard Beach on one side of the Cape. It is a protected beach and quite tricky to get to by car, so there are not that many visitors who choose to either walk or bike. However there was a yellow school bus, and lots of primary children getting a bit of a talk from ranger.

The ride was good not too many hills either up or down,  the beach was nice but very windy. Sitting on the sand were were given a very good sand blasting, we saw a few seals in the water. On the beach  notices there is a warning that 'white sharks swim in this area and feed on seals so if you are swimming avoid the seals!'  How do you avoid seals and  if they swim near you? how  do to you tell them to go away! would it not be more sensible to not swim  in that area...

We then cycled to Marconi beach, along the old cape cod rail way trail,  which is perhaps 15 miles away, well we intended to cycle to Marconi beach but we over shot the beach and went to Lookout beach by mistake.   We had stopped off on the way for a mid morning coffee and at Lookout we had our picnic lunch.

We returned to the hire shop there was a bit of drizzle and it did feel as if we were heading into the wind, but that may be imagination..

Back in the car we drove to Marconi beach and had a bit of a rest then visited Truro. Tea was at the Moby Dick's 'a whale of a meal'  English waitresses working for the season. We could not buy a set of lobster  fairy lights in the  gift shop...shame.

Eastham and Provincetown

We spent a very good day  visiting the galleries and displays at Provincetown  Cape cod. The weather was very blustery and chilly initially. We visited many interesting galleries and saw some very inspiring automata. One maker uses  found objects, kitchen utensils  for her work.A very interesting installation was one based around time which has small strikers and gongs built in to it driven by a small electric motor it was impressive .  One of the interesting things was the movement which was not smooth  but had a kind of very old movie quality jerky and yet quite compelling

When we get back home I would like to try and combine some of the clock skills that I have with my  interest in automata.  I have to really used much 'found'  stuff in the clock work, using found objects   might allow me to find out some other things, both about clocks and automata  

Day Three getting out of Boston

We had a quick cup of coffee at Dunkin Donuts... and a donut  and then with our pretty heavy cases got on  to the trolley / tram   to go to the airport. As it was  a sunday, and quite early,  the trolley busses were quite empty, we did  all the transfers  eventually  to a coach which was both electric and then diesel and got to the airport. On to another courtesy bus to the car hire section where we  did all the required paperwork and collected our hire car. This was the first time I  have driven in USA and I was anxious about it, but  as we have driven in France and Spain  it was not too bad. Getting out of the airport  was not too difficult but there were a few minor ( u turn and a wrong exit from the  main road) to contend with.

We had a very good drive down to Plymouth had a look at the plymouth rock which I  thought was brought from Plymouth UK,,, doh ,  but of course it was not! and saw the replica Mayflower. A nice walk around the old town, looked in a couple of antique shops saw a couple of french comtouise long case clocks then back on the road to Eastham

Route six to Cape Cod was good  traffic was all going the other way perhaps they knew I was on the road. We found our Air B and B    after a few minor mishaps  got the car into their drive.   Evening meal was at Wellfleet 'the bookstore'  which was very good.  a short walk on the beach and we returned to the  B and B

Day Two in Boston

We has a reasonable nights sleep in our Air Band B  a quick granola based breakfast and a cup of tea. We then went into Brookline for a cup of coffee before  taking the trolly bus in to Boston. Off to the Museum of modern art in Boston. Journey was very simple and we were soon there the cost of $25 each for entry was a bot harsh but there is so much to see that the ticket can be used again  with in a set period of time so if you sort of look at it over  two days of entry is is not too bad. We spent some time looking at the Photographs  taken by Gordon Parkes . He was the first Black photographer  hired by Time magazine and the exhibition is a collection of  the photographs he took of his classmates some fifteen years after they had left school,The exhibition and the related written matter was  very arresting highlighting the segregation issues that were still very obvious in the 1950.

Also saw some fine clocks  made in the English style of tall clocks on in particular  took my eye. The finial carving was exactly the same a a cabinet  finial carving, the clock case and the piece of furniture made by the same person? , not often seen in the UK , may have came from a small factory  the finial  being the house style..? but it was interesting.

Lunch in the garden cafe  salad and soup  which  while expensive was nice. then back to the american art galleries . Saw the Urine paintings?  by Hockney and the  some of the drip pantings by Pollock. Also saw a lot of portraits of the great and the good by Copley and others.

The European galleries were interesting rather apologetic  Tompion was listed as an english clock by Tompion no more, nice little long case.   There were Matisse Degas  you name it they were there! there was also a stunning Turner .    It was a very good five or six hours and we could have stayed longer but closing time is quite early. There were a few of the decorative American clocks on display but none working, as far as I could tell.

Back into Boston this time to find the  'Cheers' bar location if you know about Cheers,  then your age is showing! We did find the bar went in and looked around saw the set bar and looked at all the  merchandise  which was huge.  A nice walk down Charles street?  where at the Charles Street supply shop I bought a screwdriver!    and we were at the river, walked alone the front and then cut back to the town .

Back to Brookline by trolly bus, a visit to 'Trader Joe' got us  supplied for a picnic back at our B and B   Bagels cheese and hummus  nice...  I was then given a very quick lesson in how to use the I phone,  by our host   Joyce assisted buy her dog snowy,  which was very handy.

I then used the screwdriver to carry out a major repair to one of the ply adaptors i had bought to convert UK three pins to american two pins. The screw driver cost me $5 to repair an adapt on that  possible cost less.... but I now have a nice small yellow screwdriver as a keep sake of boston who could  ask for more. As an Engineer I should really travel with a full tool kit, because you never know when over the tannoy comes the call 'is there an engineer in the house'.......


   

First days

We had a very good flight from T5 London Heathrow to Logan Boston USA. I was expecting very long delays at Heathrow with security checks but in fact while it seemed to be very exacting is was very done very quickly with hardly any queuing and  not much real disturbance.  I did have to have the search but not problems,  did not have to take all my clothes off, which I think may have been a relief  for all concerned..

The Flight was very good the BA service, even in economy is excellent . We had decent enough food plenty of complementary drinks both alcoholic and soft. The on board films were OK just, Johnny Engish 2 is rubbish as, I am told, is the second best exotic marigold hotel.

Landing was good but the security checks getting in to the USA were laborious.  not helped by very few staff and all the  IT system not working properly, so I suspect it took over an hour. There are at least 400 people on a 747 and only four immigration / homeland security staff on the  entry system desks, is a bit of a joke.

Taxi ride to the ABNB was quite fast and cost about $40. The ABNB is fine  nice room en suite. We had a bit of a nap and then went out for some supper. I had Fish and Chips which was not great  Julie had a salad and flafels total cost 29$  no drink.  We had a wander round and then went back to the BNB

Day Two
Slept quite well breakfast of cereal and tea and then out to sort out the Phone cards and the Sat nav both done the phone cost us $60  and the sat nag about $110. Our host at the BNB gave us two tickets for the trolley bus and we went into Boston. We had a nice wander around  and had lunch in a quay side restaurant. We had lobster, this was the most expensive meal I have ever eaten. I am so embarrassed that I cannot bring myself to admit how much it cost. More wandering around in the afternoon  we walked through the boson common and the posh shops area.  Back to Brookline  the trolley bus was absolutely packed as the Rex sox were playing.

We went back to the Band B  and then out to a pizza shop 1 pizza  14" diameter 1 salad   and two glasses of wine $40. we have realised that the wine is very expensive as were the beers at lunch time . However, as soon as I collect the car I will not be having a drink  so money will be saved in that way. We then spent a happy hour in a superb local bookshop still open and buzzing at  8.30pm. back to the B and B

tomorrow  back to Boston for a couple of Museum visits.    

Nearly at the Airport

We are staying overnight at the Sheraton Hotel next to the runway at Heathrow.

 Getting relaxed  for our flight   to the USA Boston Logan tomorrow at 11 am.  We had a very good drive down and spent a nice two hours looking at Winsor Castle (we did not go in)    and Eton  (not my alma mater) but had two very average cups of tea and two very iffy  cakes,  well you have too, when a tourist. £13. 37.

We have both a hotel picnic  from M and S   which we shall eat in our room,,, plus a couple of cheeky G  and T's in cans, actually more  than a couple...

Mike

Black Forest Three Train Automata Clock

I had a very good trip to  the National Trust's Snowshill Manor on Friday to deliver this rather nice three train automata clock. The clock is a black forest clock which  had not been working for a fair time. The striking is quarter striking  on four bells and the hour is also a struck on a bell.  The bell striking is a carried out  with nice carved figures sadly some have been a bit damaged but  after a bit of work I managed to free them up and get them to do what they should do. We managed to make a recording of the bell striking, and I hope it will be on the Snowshill's blog.  

Less that a week to go before I start the Winson Churchill Memorial Fund 2015 travelling fellowship.

Flying to Boston USA next week, to start a five week research trip of the USA.

I am both excited and nervous, most of the planning is done,   I have somewhere to sleep..... most nights.  I have some idea in which direction I should be travelling,....... if not on which side of the road I should be driving.

as they say,  bring it on.

Mike

Clock Conservation visit to National Trust Baddersley Clinton

It was very good to spend a day carrying out  the annual clock conservation visit to Baddersley Clinton a National Trust property near Solihull Birmingham  yesterday, apart from the weather which was dreadful the house and staff were welcoming.

We moved a couple of clocks  to better positions and carried out an inspection lubrication and gently internal vacuuming  of the others.  The lyre clock  (photograph) was moved to a room which is themed as a 'room in mourning' so we moved the clock to the room and promptly covered it with a black cloth, but it does look very atmospheric.

Only a month to go

It is one month less a day to my flying out to the USA to study the conservation of wooden clocks. Made possible by a Winston Churchill  Memorial Fund   2015 Travelling Fellowship. Much planning been done but much still to do.

I had a very nice day yesterday travelling up to London  to attend the Lady Day Installation  Court of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers. The WCC is one of the oldest city companies being established by Royal Charter in 1631. It was good to meet old friends and to meet some new ones as well. This was the first Luncheon I have attended since I was made free of the company in 2002.

Wood clock by T White Witney

I have been working for the last couple of weeks on this wood and brass clock by T White of Witney. Dozens of photographs and loads of drawings. It is a very interesting clock pretty rare for an english clock  having  the lower train ( gears) made from wood and the higher ones brass. It was made around 1740. T White was ( I think) a carpenter he was very adept at using wood,  but not as good at laying out a clock train  so perhaps this was his first wood clock. Most if not all of the gears are hand cut, the larger wood ears are Oak and the smaller possibly box. 

The movement was in a bit of a sad way dirty and there was some evidence of wood worm or other insect damage, I have treated the insect damage locally, and removed  dust and dirt. The movement has been waxed with renaissance wax, it now looks very good. It is unlikely that this clock will be in a condition were it could be run safety.  However it will soon be back in its rightful place for all to see.

Mike

Introduction (and the first post)

This is the first post of a new blog mybenchview

I am Conservation Clockmaker working mainly for private clients and the  National Trust  in England and Wales UK.

I have recently been awarded a 2015 Winston Churchill Memorial Trust  Travelling Fellowship to study the conservation of wooden clocks and related items. I will be travelling in USA Canada  in the earlier part of the year and Austria Germany France and Switzerland in the latter part of the year.

This blog will act as a record of the build up to the travel and also be a place where I will record my thoughts and pictures during the actual travelling, also it will be a place where I can post some pictures of  the museums, collection and people who I hope to be visiting.

I will be also posting on twitter @mybenchview and on Facebook  Wood Wheeled Clocks

www.wcmt.org.uk  for information on the winston churchill memorial trust