CLOCK WINDER’S RECORD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19616, 21 October 1925, Page 8

CLOCK WINDER’S RECORD.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS' WORK. Ir. spite of the invention of self-winding appliances, most of the big clocks in Central London are still kept going by men who wind them up in the old hand-power way. Some of the difficulties of the professional clock-winder were explained recently by Mr H. Phillpot, of Tottenham, who for 25 years had scores of clocks in the city and West End under his care. He and MrS Phillpot recently celebrated their golden wedding. by a family gathering, whose interest is enhanced by the fact that it was Mrs Phillpot's sixty-ninth birthday. Six days a week for 35 years," said Mr Phillpot, " I wound clocks in West End mansions, city churches, and at the docks. '* It is not easy attending to church clocks, for the winder has to creep in and out among th-j bells, and the vork entails a good deal of labour. To pet to the St. Pancrns Church clock 150 steps have to be climbed. Rom* of the weights run to four or five hundredweight each, and they have to be drawn up by a jack." " It used to take me 50 minutes to wind up the clock at St. James's, Jamaica road, Bermondsey. and when I went to the India office, where there were 106 .clocks, T was always busy for two hours. All the time I was working I looked aftor the clocks it St. Bride's Church, in Fleet street, the Foundling Hospital, Cripplegate Church, Bow Church. St. James's, Clerkenwell, and scores of other places." Mr Phillpot is 69. and for some vears has lived in retirement. The couple have hpd eight children, four sons and four daughters. All the sons served in the war. and one was killed. There are 22 grandchildren.