Emotions ran high on the latest episode of The Repair Shop as BBC experts Steve Fletcher and Dominic Chinea welcomed Robin and his extraordinary family heirloom into the workshop. The guest brought a large globe, which he revealed was a 'world clock' meticulously crafted by his great-grandfather.
A Unique Timepiece
Robin explained that the clock was based on a grandfather clock mechanism, designed to make the globe rotate once every 24 hours. By using the numbers on the ring around the equator, one could tell the time anywhere in the world. The BBC stars were in awe, both calling it 'amazing'. However, Robin confessed that he had never seen it work in his lifetime.
Family Legacy
Curious horologist Steve asked if Robin's great-grandfather was a clockmaker. Robin revealed that he was actually a mechanical engineer who built the clock in his spare time during the 1930s after retirement. A newspaper clipping inside the clock indicated it was supposed to chime every half hour and took five years to perfect. Sadly, Robin's great-grandfather passed away when he was just one year old, but he cherished memories of the clock in his grandfather's dining room.
Robin shared that his own father had always wanted to get the clock working but never succeeded. He expressed his desire to see it operational in his father's memory and to continue the family legacy.
The Restoration Challenge
Steve and Jonathan Wright took on the challenging restoration. When Robin returned to see the final result, he was stunned. The experts had managed to get the clock working again. Robin fought back tears as he admired the beautifully restored piece. 'Wow! It looks gorgeous, I am stunned,' he said. When Steve activated the chime, Robin struggled to hold back his emotions, apologizing as he became overwhelmed. 'I'd have loved my dad to have seen it and heard it. He'd have been thrilled. It's really emotional,' he added.
Robin concluded: 'Extremely emotional, but it's magical, fabulous. We shall treasure it until it's time to hand it on to the next generation.' Steve remarked that it had been a great challenge and thanked Robin for bringing it in.
The Repair Shop is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
