James Ritchie & Son

Last updated
James Ritchie & Son
Founded1809
Headquarters Broxburn, Scotland
Products clocks
Parent Smith of Derby Group from 2013
Website James Ritchie

James Ritchie & Son are a firm of Clockmakers in Broxburn, West Lothian, Scotland. [1] [2] [3] [4] The company was established in 1809 and is Scotland's oldest turret clock manufacturer. [1] [5]

Contents

The firm produces and maintains all sorts of clocks, including public clocks. The company is contracted to wind, set, repair and clean many of the public clocks in Edinburgh and since 2015 has converted many of the city's clocks windings to automatic mechanisms. [6] [7]

History

The clockmakers was established by James Ritchie in 1809 at 29 Leith Street. [8] [9] In 1819, the company acquired the clockmaking business of another Edinburgh clockmaker, Joseph Durward. [8] [9] By 1836 the company had changed its name to James Ritchie & Son. [8] James Ritchie died in 1849 and was succeeded by Frederick James Ritchie (1828-1906) who continued to manage the business. [8] The firm was a recipient of the clockmaking Reid Auld prize on several occasions. [9] In 1906, the firm passed to Frederick II, son of Frederick James and his descendants but suffered from financial difficulties over the coming decades. [8] In 1953, the Leith Street premises were sold and the last remaining Ritchie (Leone) retired, passing control to his nephew, Robert Mitchell who moved the firm to Broughton St. [8] The firm was subsequently purchased by Frank Pritchard, an earlier apprentice of Mitchells. [8] In 2003, the firm relocated to Broxburn in West Lothian. [5] In 2013, the firm was acquired by the English clockmakers Smith of Derby but continues to operate under its own name as a subsidiary. [1] [10]

Works

The Edinburgh Floral Clock, the clock mechanism is by James Ritchie & Son FloralClockEdinburgh2014.jpg
The Edinburgh Floral Clock, the clock mechanism is by James Ritchie & Son
The Tollcross Clock in Edinburgh Tollcross Clock - geograph.org.uk - 1301994.jpg
The Tollcross Clock in Edinburgh

Their works include:

As well as tower clocks, the company specialises in public clocks of smaller sizes, for example the former station clock of the old Fort William railway station was made by the firm. [20] A working model of a tower clock built by the company is in the grand gallery of the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street. [21]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Time is called on oldest Scots clockmaker". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Times up for hand winding St Magnus cathedral clock". The Orcadian . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  3. ↑ "James Ritchie & Son". British Museum . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Time piece: Keeping up with business as clocks spring forward". BBC News . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 "Time is of the essence for dedicated clockmen". The Scotsman. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  6. ↑ "Plan to make landmark clocks automatic". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 "Historic Edinburgh clocks to be switched to automatic". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Watt, David (2013). "James Ritchie & Son – Clockmakers" (PDF). Broughton History Society Newsletter. summer (32): 4–5. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Smith, John (1975). Old Scottish Clockmakers from 1453 to 1850. Wakefield: EP Publishing. p. 317. ISBN   9780715810866.
  10. 1 2 "Scotland's clock that's (almost) never on time". BBC News . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  11. 1 2 Marshall, Alan (Autumn 2009). "Nelson Monument". AHSS Magazine. 26: 14–17.
  12. 1 2 Kinns, Roger (July 2011). "The Early History of the Edinburgh Time Ball and Time Gun". International Journal for the History of Engineering & Technology. 81 (2): 264–290. doi:10.1179/175812111X13033852943390. S2CID   109474035 . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  13. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, Haymarket, Heart Of Midlothian War Memorial (237149)". Canmore . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  14. ↑ Historic Environment Scotland. "TOLLCROSS, CLOCK (LB47048)" . Retrieved 29 August 2021.
  15. ↑ "Historic Edinburgh clock removed by council due to 'health and safety' reasons". Edinburgh Live. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  16. 1 2 "Time stands still on clock repair". BBC News . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  17. 1 2 "Ancient Scots clock chimes again". BBC News . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Marshall, Rosalind K. (2009). St Giles': The Dramatic Story of a Great Church and its People. Saint Andrew Press. pp. 103, 154. ISBN   9780715208830.
  19. 1 2 Historic Environment Scotland. "Edinburgh, 163 Canongate, Canongate Tolbooth, City Museum (52527)". Canmore . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  20. ↑ "Council office clear-out turns up railway memorabilia". BBC News . Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Tower clock". National Museum of Scotland. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
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