Students from West Dean clock up awards

Tabea Rude, a student from the college’s conservation of clocks programme, received a prize for the best conservation restoration project from the Southern Section of the Antiquarian Horological Society as part of a prize giving ceremony for all West Dean programmes.

The society was formed in 1953 to encourage the study of all matters relating to the art and history of time measurement.

Tabea started out in watchmaking at Pforzheim University in Germany before deciding to specialise in the preservation of timepieces.

Tabea said: “I spent over 400 painstaking hours repairing the 1960s chronometer so was delighted to be recognised for all my hard work.

“West Dean has given me a set of skills which is invaluable and uniquely shaped to my plans for the future.

“Not only have I learnt about the conservation of clocks, I have also had the opportunity to network and understand the terminology and language of the industry.”

Francoise Collanges is another graduate from the clocks programme at West Dean whose work to conserve an early electric master clock has received national acclaim.

She has been shortlisted in the Icon Awards for The Pilgrim Trust Student Conservator of the Year category.

Icon is the UK’s leading voice for the conservation of precious cultural heritage.

For more information about courses, visit www.westdean.org.uk.

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