THAMESMEAD TOWN CENTRE CLOCK
This is another of the notes dug out by Diana Rimel - and thanks to her.
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| Packed up and ready to leave Deptford |
In 1982 an officer of the GLC Historic Buildings Division
noticed an 18th Century clock and cupola standing inside Convoy's Wharf in
Deptford. Convoy's Wharf is on the site of the former Deptford Royal Dockyard,
which dates back to the early years of the reign of King Henry VIII. It
flourished during the 16th and 17th Centuries, but during the 18th Century it
began to decline in importance because of its awkward, upstream position and
the silting-up of the foreshore. The most important building in the Dockyard
was the Great Storehouse, which was demolished in 1981, but thanks to the
interest in local history of the manager of Convoy's, Mr A.R.Coates, the clock
and cupola was lifted off the building intact, and preserved.
The Thamesmead General Manager wrote to Messrs Convoys
(London) Ltd suggesting that Thamesmead could find a suitable location for the
clock if they were willing to release it.
In reply, Mr Coates donated the clock and cupola to Thamesmead and it
was eventually transported - by river, as it was too large to pass beneath
several railway bridges by road - to the Royal Arsenal for safe keeping.
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| The clock and its tower go down river |
The Finance and General
Purposes and Housing Committees
of the GLC agreed expenditure for the restoration of the clock and cupola , and
later for the construction of a supporting tower in the Classical style which
had been designed by a firm of private architects in association with the
Council's Historic buildings Division. A
stone tablet was incorporated into the brickwork of the tower, bearing the
following inscription.
"The clock and
cupola come from the former Great Storehouse of the Deptford Royal Dockyard,
and was donated to the Greater London Council by the kindness of A. R. Coates
at Messrs’ Convoy’s (London Wharves) Limited.
The tower was designed by Leslie Jones and Partners
architects in conjunction with the GLC's Director of Architecture, Historic
Buildings Division"
Ultimately in December 1987, the completed structure and
restored clock was handed over to Thamesmead Town and the specialist clock
makers (John Smith and Sons of Derby) who had restored the clock during the
original contract were retained on an annual maintenance contract.
Nevertheless, after some short while, it became apparent that the machinery or
movement was an unreliable time keeper.
The Clock movement is - with the exception of the chiming
quarters wheel original and dates from 1782.
Inevitably the large brass gear wheels had worn. And whilst this was of
little importance in its original position where daily corrections could be
made easily, access to the clock on its free-standing tower is a very different
matter.
It was decided in consequence, to connect the movement from the four faces, and insert an electrically operated self-correcting motor to drive the hands, which was done in September 1991. The original movement was left in place, and in the event of Thamesmead’s eventually creating a museum there will be the possibility of removing it and mounting it on permanent static display.
