Thwaites & Reed

Infobox Company
company_name = Thwaites & Reed
company_
company_type = Private
foundation = 1740
location = Rottingdean, Brighton, East Sussex, United Kingdom
industry = Clocks
products = clocks
homepage = [http://www.thwaites-reed.co.uk www.thwaites-reed.co.uk]
footnotes =

Thwaites & Reed has been in continuous manufacture since its foundation and claims to be the oldest clock manufacturing company in the world. George Buggins MBE, last direct descendent, saw drawings of Thwaites clocks dating back to 1610 and these drawings and other early records prior to 1780 went missing but the other records from that date are on loan to the Guildhall Library London where the public have access.

For 30 years, it maintained all the clocks at the Palace of Westminster, including the Great Clock. Other than Thwaites & Reed, associated tradenames are "Aynsworth Thwaites", "John Thwaites".

History

John Thwaites, one of many Thwaites with that name, was a clockmaker at the beginning of the 17th century and from this extended family Aynsworth Thwaites founded the business now known as Thwaites & Reed in Rosoman Street, Clerkenwell, London in 1740 [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=22169 Clock and watch-making] , British History Online, Accessed 2006-12-19] , and continued there until 1780. The company's earliest recorded commission and still in use, was a turret clock for Horseguards Parade made in 1740 but not finished until 1768, and a domestic long-clock about 1770 for the British East India Company. The complexity of the Horseguards clock is the result of many previous years clockmaking experience but older work has not been identified. Aynsworth was succeeded by John Thwaites, who was head of the firm from 1780 to 1816, and master of the Clockmakers' Company in 1815, 1819, and 1820 [ [http://www.clockmakers.info/page15.html List of Masters] , Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, Accessed 2007-05-21] . In 1816, Thwaites partnered with George Jeremiah Reed, and he firm became Thwaites & Reed. John Thwaite remained at the firm's head until 1842.

In 1969 the family firm brought in outsiders to manage its business culminating in the British Government acquiring control of the business in 1978, only to return it to private ownership two years later after it had been modernised with substantial government investment.

Clocks

* Clock at Horseguards Parade (1756)
* East India Company, India (1770)
* The Queen Victoria Building clock in Australia.
* Bracken House Clock with Zodiac Calendar and Churchill's face emblazoned on it (1955?) - Bracken House, former home of the Financial Times)
* Royal Small Arms Clock Tower [ [http://www.rsaiv.co.uk/interpretation.htm Royal Small Arms Island Centre] , Accessed 2006-12-19] (c 1783)
* Clock at All Saints Church, Wokingham (1817) [ [http://www.allsaintswokinghambells.org.uk/ASTower/ASTower.html All Saints Church, Wokingham] , Accessed 2006-12-19]
* Holy Trinity Old Church, Margate (1845) [ [http://kent.lovesguide.com/margate_holy_trinity_old.htm Holy Trinity Old Church] , Accessed 2006-12-19]
* St. George Tabernacle, St. George, Utah, [ [http://www.utah.com/mormon/st_george_area.htm St. George Tabernacle] , Accessed 2006-12-19]
* Prince Albert Memorial Clocktower, Hastings - Gothic style (1864) [ [http://www.hastingschoice.co.uk/HASTINGS-HISTORY/hastings-town/hastings-town-history.htm Prince Albert Memorial Clocktower] , Hastings Choice, Accessed 2006-12-19]
* Bow Bells at St Mary-le-Bow electric clock mechanism (1961) [ [http://www.stmarylebow.co.uk/?Bow_Bells St Mary-le-Bow] , Accessed 2006-12-19]
* Fortnum & Mason of Piccadilly, with automata jacks of the founders, Fortnum & Mason in 19th Century costumes. (1964)

External links

* [http://www.thwaites-reed.co.uk/ Official website]

Footnotes

References

* "Industries: Clock and watch-making', A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 2: General; Ashford, East Bedfont with Hatton, Feltham, Hampton with Hampton Wick, Hanworth, Laleham, Littleton (1911), pp. 158-65.