Our much loved Emett Clock is currently undergoing a very careful restoration programme.
Leading the work is local engineer Pete Dexter, whose connection with the Emett Clock goes back to 2011. After visiting the clock with his young granddaughter and seeing that much of its animation was no longer working, Pete became involved in its restoration. His work helped bring the clock back to life in 2015, and he has continued to care for it ever since.
The current refurbishment is another major undertaking, with the clock being temporarily removed from the Victoria Centre so that Pete can work on its many intricate components.
This is not simply a case of cleaning and repairing an old machine. The Emett Clock is made up of hundreds of individual parts, each playing its own role in the movement and performance. Pete is taking the time to examine each element carefully, assessing its condition, maintaining moving mechanisms and paying close attention to the decorative details that give the clock its unique character.
That attention to detail is particularly important because the aim is not to make the clock look new. It is to preserve the character and imagination that Rowland Emett created more than 50 years ago, while ensuring the mechanism can continue working for many more years.
You can see below just some the works Pete has carried out…
