I didn’t know much about clocks before I started writing the Clock Shop Mystery series, so I needed to dive into research. I read, a lot. I googled. I visited the Amercan Clock & Watch Museum in Bristol, Connecticut. The museum gave me a lot to think about regarding styles, craftsmanship, and the history of clocks in New England. (Wonderful place to visit, highly recommended.)
I needed to meet a clockmaker, and mentioned that to my friend Susan Roberts. “My husband is a clockmaker,” she said. Bam.
I wrote to David Roberts a few weeks ago to ask some questions. I’d met him before, on a trip to the store he runs with his brother James, The Clockfolk of New England in Wilmington, MA. That visit helped me learn about the shop. But now I needed to learn about clock towers. “Well, I can give you a tour of one,” he said. We agreed to meet Saturday in Reading. He and his brother alternate weeks winding the clock tower there.
I climbed up two ladders, and got up to the tower. It was perfect. A four-sided clock with huge faces that let light in. Four arms are attached to a central mechanism, which was installed just over one-hundred years ago. With incredible patience, David talked me through how the clock works. He let me help wind it–which is quite a workout. 50 revolutions per day, and it needs to run for a week. The clock weights come in at 450 pounds, but because of counterweights, it took work but I could do it.
The Seth Thomas clock is a marvel of craftsmanship. Not many people will actually see the clock itself, yet it is painted with details, with beautifully crafted pieces. Everything serves a purpose, and it all needs to work together in order to work at all. We timed the visit so I could hear the bell ring, another mechanized activity that was amazing to learn about.
I am not ever going to remember everything David told me. But what I will remember, and what struck me the first time I went to the shop and met he and James, was the passion of the clockmaker. It takes years to learn the craft, and more years to hone it. Like writing, or performing, or any other craft, there has to be joy in the process, otherwise why do it? The Roberts brothers ARE clockfolk, and I am grateful that they share their passion with me.
Now, why did I need to visit a clock tower? You’ll have to wait until next August to find out! But get ready for the next adventure of our intrepid clockmaker Ruth Clagan when Clock and Dagger is released this August.