Stopped Clocks
The Stopped Clocks Foundation is a public collaborative project which exists to first document all the stopped clocks in the UK, with the aim being to restore those we can to working order. Anyone can help, so please send in any information on stopped clocks in your area.
The overall aim is to try and provide the information and organisational tools for people to have clocks in their neighbourhood fixed, by collaborating in fund raising activities, and in general raising awareness of stopped clocks around the country.
At the same time, the themes of disconnect with our recent past, and the move from an analogue to a digital lifestyle/culture are themes that I find fascinating, and will occasionally post thoughts on.
I once took a walk around a square mile in central London, I found 11 stopped clocks, either Municipal clocks, church clocks or otherwise public clocks. After poking about and doing some research, I discovered that it really does not cost much to fix a clock, as there is a tendency within clock repair to replace very old clock mechanisms with a mix of digital and analogue mechanisms. For a very low average cost, each of the clocks that I found could be repaired.
Clocks in the public sphere were once really vital – not everyone had watches, let alone wrist-watches until the early 70’s – you needed to be able to see what the time was and so they truly had a public function. Nowadays, with digital watches and mobile phones being the norm, the function of these clocks has somewhat disappeared.
As a metaphor for our relationship with our past I think that stopped clocks are a potent symbol of the loss of our analogue past, how almost unknowingly we left behind so much when we entered this digital age. I hope you enjoy the blog, and will help me create a deep database of stopped clocks around the country, with the aim of getting them fixed.