I’ve just written a piece about time
pieces for the Mass Observation Archives so I
thought I would share some of my memories with you.
When I was a young woman there were lots of “public clocks”. There were clocks on display in shops, offices and business places and one could see them while shopping or going about one’s business. There are still public clocks in railway stations and there’s one on the local council offices but I don’t know of any newish buildings which incorporate an external clock. It used to be very handy to be able to glance at a clock.
When I was a vicar, one of my churches had a clock. It was a brute and someone had to climb up a ladder in the tower to wind it. It was known as the vicar’s clock but no way was I climbing up there. Church clocks that strike the hours are sometimes known as “the vicar’s pager” but I don’t remember that one being so called.
Watches have been in decline, my daughter stopped wearing one years ago until smart watches arrived, now she wears hers nonstop even in the shower. I don't wear one, we have clocks in the house and loads of other devices to see the time.
ReplyDeleteThe house is no problem - it's out in the big wide world that it is difficult to know the time.
DeleteMy first watch was an Ingersoll too. I have just bought my grandsons a clock for their bedroom , it is a teaching clock, with hands labelled minutes and hours, and ¼ past, ½past and ¼to round the dial.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if children will know about clock faces in the future as so many clocks are digital. Your grandchildren will!
DeleteMy first watch was an Ingersoll-there must have been a lot of them about! It had a red strap, I had just started at secondary school and must have been about 11. We had to remove our watches for PE and swimming. Over about 3 months I dropped and broke my watch at PE lessons about 3 times. My Dad said if I broke it again I would pay for the next repair. I dropped it again ...I had to save up out of my pocket money 10p at a time. Eventually I had the money and the repair was done. My parents gave me my money back but the lesson had been learned. I never dropped it again!
ReplyDeleteForgot to say, my husband works in a school and was shocked to find many of the kids cannot read the time on a clock with hands or understand 'twenty to' or 'a quarter past'. They are so used to digital clocks.
ReplyDelete