Antiques Magazine Archive, January 2018

Clockmaking a Bristish legacy and more.
From the 15th century onwards public clocks had been erected in the squares and local spaces of larger towns around Scotland, from Peebles to Dundee. The mechanisms of these early clocks were produced overseas, and it wasn’t until the late 15th century to early 16th century that British clockmakers became competent in making and repairing clocks. As the practice developed, an area in Edinburgh was dedicated to their trade, Clock Maker’s Land in the West Bow, which most notably housed the workshop and residence of the watchmaker and horologist Paul Roumieu, 1677-94. His craftsmanship has been recorded in documents of the time, praising the quality of his movements and pieces.