Student makes history with a replica clock

The project at the college, near Chichester, was made possible through the generous support of Mrs Josie Roland. She funds the St Roche Scholarship, a scholarship for two year’s tuition and accommodation fees for a student studying on the college Clocks programmes.

This is the first time for almost 300 years that a year-going clock with 13-foot pendulum and prototype ‘dead-beat’ escapement will occupy the original Wren space in The Observatory.The original clock was one of the most accurate clocks of the period and was used to obtain very accurate timings of observations of the stars.

These were used by the Rev. John Flamsteed, the first Astronomer Royal, to determine accurate positions for stars, later used by navigators for establishing their position at sea.

Two years ago, Johan first began researching the original designs and documentation of the clock in preparation for the nine-month project to make the clock. More than 50 individual parts have been hand-crafted and machine-tooled from steel and brass for the project. Johan made many of the pieces using the same techniques that Tompion would have employed back in 1676.

He is a second generation clockmaker from Holland, and grew up surrounded by the clocks his father was designing and making. Initially drawn to furniture making, he studied for four years at Amsterdam’s Hout en Meubilerings College. His first year at West Dean was spent studying the repair, restoration and conservation of antique clocks and his second year has seen him tackle this ambitious clock making project. After graduation he plans to use his skills to design and construct new clocks.

At the official unveiling at The Royal Observatory, Greenwich were senior specialist in horology at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Jonathan Betts; Dr Gloria Clifton, head of The Royal Observatory; Gillian Lewis, West Dean College trustee and Dr Terry Quinn, former director of Bureau International des Poids et Measures.