SMITH OF DERBY
112 ALFRETON ROAD
DERBY
DERBYSHIRE DE21 4AU
Tel: 01332 345569
Fax: 01332 290642
Suppliers of: Exterior clocks, Tower clocks, Church clock repairs, Smith of Derby, Church clock dial restoration, Bell hammers, Church bell systems, Church clock, night silencing, Lead theft, CCTV security for churches, Church clock restoration, Public clock maintenan
Smith of Derby are the number one uk manufacturer, restorer and designer of clocks to the world, we are masters of time and the art of displaying the time on beautiful contemporary, modern and time honoured traditional clocks. Our 150 years of making and designing clocks means that we can cope with any and all of your hierological requirements, Smith of Derby make Exterior clocks, tower clocks both old and new, Church Bell clocks, prayer clocks, Islamic clocks and many others.
Smith of Derby are also world leaders in the restoration of clocks, clock faces and church bell chime systems. We at Smith of derby pride ourselves on our expert knowledge and exquisite design ideals, so if you need any further information please follow the link to our site or read on.
Time – what makes us tick
Smiths of Derby’s’ “Time” division is our service and maintenance side of the business, we maintain over 4,500 clocks in the Uk and around the world, these include the largest mechanical movement in the world which was designed by Smith of Derby for China in 2010, so you know that you are not only getting great clocks from us but we are also there to ensure they continue working and looking great. For more information on Time please follow the link in the title.
Heritage- Church heritage and service
Smith of Derby specialist “Heritage” division offers a comprehensive of services covering all aspects of work related to church clocks, public clocks, and turret and tower clocks. Smith of Derby originally installed the cathedral clock in St Pauls and also have carried out restoration work on the St Pancreas station clock in the centre of London. The “Heritage” division also provides ChurchCam which is a CCTV system designed specifically for churches to aid in security. For more information on Heritage please follow the link in the title.
Public- Public places and spaces
Smith of Derby are world famous for their innovative and inspiring timepieces and there sculptural and kinetic design ideals, we follow the brief and design some of the most breath-taking and inspirational public clocks in the world. Smith of Derby also design and build Prayer Clocks and Islamic Clocks including the Makkah Holy Haram clock and the Queens diamond jubilee clock. For more information on Public please follow the link in the title.
Creative – Creative design and interiors
The Creative division is where the dreams and ideals of our clients are brought to life; we can take a design drawing and create just what you want. We are also blessed with a great team of designers in house who can work with you the client to fulfil and even exceed your expectations helping you to achieve and deliver the very best. We love to work alongside designers, architects, hoteliers and artists. We have designed many of the world’s leading clocks, so come to us for all of your horological requirements and we will help you to design and build the clock of your dreams. For more information on Creative please follow the link in the title.
Whitehurst – Bespoke timepieces
The Whitehurst division is the pure bespoke design and creation service we at Smith of Derby offer. Whitehurst is clock making at its very best, every piece is individually hand crafted using the very finest materials. If you want a unique and beautiful piece of design then you need look no further to find out more follow the link above in the title.
These files are provided by the manufacturer. While Building Products Index takes every care to ensure the information is correct and up to date, we cannot be held liable for any out of date or incorrect information in them. You should check with before specifying or purchasing products.
Bell Chiming + Sound
Published [08/11/11]File size [2695 KB]
ChurchCAM CCTV Church Burglar Alarm System
Published [07/11/11]File size [692 KB]
Creative Time Emgineering
Published [21/11/11]File size [1879 KB]
Finials
Published [08/11/11]File size [549 KB]
Floral Clocks
Published [08/11/11]File size [485 KB]
Interior Brochure
Published [21/11/11]File size [1452 KB]
Islamic Clock Brochure
Published [21/11/11]File size [5203 KB]
Limited edition UAE clock
Published [21/11/11]File size [1005 KB]
Luxury Brouhure
Published [21/11/11]File size [1538 KB]
Mini Turrets
Published [08/11/11]File size [558 KB]
Pillar Clocks
Published [08/11/11]File size [1289 KB]
Prayer Clock Brochure
Published [21/11/11]File size [1035 KB]
Projecting Clocks
Published [08/11/11]File size [738 KB]
Standard Clock Dials
Published [08/11/11]File size [1698 KB]
Standard GRP Turrets Heritage
Published [08/11/11]File size [441 KB]
Whitehurst Brochure
Published [21/11/11]File size [1441 KB]
Wind Vanes
Published [08/11/11]File size [663 KB]
TIME FOR A CHANGE AT SMITH OF DERBY
For more than a century and a half the City of Derby has been proud to list world renowned clockmakers Smith of Derby amongst its most famous exports, alongside success stories Rolls Royce and Royal Crown Derby.
Now with the City of Derby currently undergoing its biggest physical transformation for more than 200 years, Smith of Derby is undergoing radical changes of its own kind, with its diversification into a number of new areas and its emerging reputation as a market leader in the field of creative engineering.
Smith of Derby is now widely acknowledged as a global leader in the business of time. It currently maintains and services more than 4,500 clocks in the UK and abroad including the world’s best known time-pieces, from the clock at St Paul’s Cathedral, which was built in 1893 and has been maintained every year since, to the clock at St Pancras station and Shanghai Customs House.
Whilst the company started life as a traditional clockmaker and is immensely proud of its heritage, it has always been conscious of the need to move with the times. As a result, it has recently announced plans to double the size of its business over the next four years as it diversifies into new markets.
The latest phase of the company’s expansion forms part of Smith's diversification from the design and manufacture of traditional tower clocks into its Creative Engineering division; a fusion of Smith’s time-served craftsmanship and the talents of artists and designers.
Here we talk to Bob Betts, managing director of Smith of Derby about the company’s future as it enters its next phase of development:
“In the clock making world, time never stands still. It is an exciting time for Smith of Derby. The company is steeped in proud tradition and is a world leader at what it does, but we are keen to keep pace with demand from our customers.
“Technology has certainly moved on apace since John Smith started making clocks in Queen Street, Derby, in 1856.
Central to the company’s ethos is its belief that clocks are more than just instruments for measuring time; they provide a focus for communities, a reference point and have a key role to play in the regeneration of urban areas.
Today, the company’s Creative Engineering division works in partnership with its clients, to offer a design, production and installation service for a diverse range of bespoke urban art, street furniture, kinetic and static art products.
Bob continued:
“We are currently working with several artists and designers from all over the world to bring their designs to life, including artist Marianne Forrest whom we worked with on a feature clock, which she had designed for the refectory at Newnham College in Cambridge.
“We have also recently worked with artist Fiona Heron on an urban regeneration project for the Lace Market in Nottingham. We have fabricated her design for a piece of wall art that is made from stainless steel mesh resembling cascading lace.
Since starting the next phase of the company’s expansion, Smith of Derby has launched a recruitment drive to cope with the contracts for its new products.
“We have initially taken on six members of staff to work in the factory in Derby, including service and installation engineers, a tower clock engineer and a highly skilled fabrication engineer.
“The new recruits will work with the factories existing workforce of 40 to focus on Creative Engineering projects such kinetic art sculptures and bespoke street furniture for town and city regeneration.
Conscious of how important it is for the company to keep evolving in order to meet its own ambitious expectations, Smith of Derby have branched out further to explore the possibilities out there for the Creative Engineering side of the business.
Bob takes up the story:
“We are currently involved in a workshop for a pilot Arts Council scheme called Quest. The scheme has brought 10 artists from England and Holland together to come up with design ideas for our company based on the question, ‘what is the future of time?’
“Similarly we have recently launched a competition for students at Nottingham Trent University which involves them coming up with design concepts based on two design briefs involving time.
“The artist’ input so far has been incredibly impressive and we’re equally pleased with the ideas that the students have come up with. We have really benefited from their ideas and it has given them an opportunity to work on a real life project which will count towards their final marks,” added Bob.
For 150 years, Smith of Derby Limited has established a market-leading reputation. It is a name steeped in tradition, but one, which understands the fast-changing needs of its global client base.
CLOCKMAKER PUTS HORSE POWER BACK INTO WEATHERVANE
Smith of Derby, one of the world’s most famous clockmakers, is carrying out the restoration of a clock and weather vane, which was originally installed by the company more than a century ago.
The restoration project forms part of Derby City Council’s plan to renovate the run down stables on Stores Road in Derby, which were originally home to the horses for the horse drawn trams, into a yard for the council’s commercial vehicles.
According to the company’s records, the clock was originally installed in 1902 and was later restored in 1912 following a fire. The weather vane is the main attraction of this assembly with a 3D cooper racehorse as the centrepiece. However, there is no record of when this was first installed.
The clock and weather vane, which are part of the stables clock tower will be dismantled and taken to Smith of Derby’s workshop on Alfreton Road.
In order for the engineers at Smith’s to restore this assembly to its former glory, both pieces will be dismantled and rebuilt securely, have any broken parts remade and finally be cleaned to remove any corrosion that has built up over the years.
In addition the clocks original mechanism will be replaced with a motor, which will ensure that the clock movement starts itself in the event of a power failure.
Commenting on the restoration, Bob Betts, managing director at Smith of Derby said:
“Smith of Derby today is immensely proud of its history [heritage], so we are delighted to be involved with this piece of Derby heritage in which the company is continuing [a project which sees the company continue with] the maintenance of a project [which] it started over 100 years ago.
“At Smith of Derby we do a lot of work on public art pieces for local authorities and artists and we feel it is important that we look after historical pieces such as this one especially as the design of the racehorse is so distinct,” added Bob.
