Smith of Derby Group is a clockmaker based in Derby, England founded in 1856. Smith of Derby has been operated continuously under five generations of the Smith family.
History
John Smith (21 December 1813 - 1886) became an apprentice to John Whitehurst in 1827. He went on to be the founder of a new clockmaking company in 1856, first establishing his business in premises at 27 Queen Street in Derby.
John Smith's new company flourished during the industrial revolution. When he died in 1886, his two sons, Frank and John took over the running of the family business. Under Frank Smith, the company were responsible for building the huge turret clock for St Paul's Cathedral in 1893.
Frank Smith died in 1913, and the company was run by staff until his son Alan was old enough to take over the running of the business. Alan Smith was succeeded by Howard Smith, who in turn, was succeeded by Nicholas Smith.
During the 20th century, Smith and Sons expanded through the acquisition of a variety of businesses. Clockmakers William Potts & Sons, Leeds were established in 1833 and acquired by Smith of Derby in 1933; JB Joyce & Co of Whitchurch were responsible for many clocks internationally and were acquired by Smith of Derby in 1965; George & Francis Cope were established in 1845 as producers of chronometers for the Admiralty, and joined Smith of Derby in 1984. In 1985 they acquired B & H (Derby) Ltd and became the current Smith of Derby Group.
In 2013, the company acquired the historical Scottish clockmaker James Ritchie & Son but continue to operate the firm as a subsidiary.
Public clock installations in Europe
Memorial Clock, Willenhall, 1892
Cathedral Clock at St Paul's Cathedral, London 1893
Town Hall clock in Grampound, Cornwall 1894
Glossop Town Hall, located in Derbyshire
The Jubilee Clock Tower, located in Maidenhead 1897
Magheralin Co, Down Church Of Ireland Clock 1901
Trinity College Clock, Cambridge 1910
Cathedral Quarter Hotel Clock in Derby
Temple Court time feature at Minories Shopping Centre, Birmingham
Grand Brasserie Clock at St Pancras station, London
Hourglass Clock at Burghley House near Stamford
Planisphere at Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent
Light Clock at Royal Derby Hospital, Derby
Restoration of original medieval Salisbury Cathedral clock in Salisbury
Restoration of the Blair Castle Clock Tower destroyed by fire in Blair Atholl, Perthshire Portsmouth Guildhall Bell Tower restoration, Portsmouth "H. Samuel" clock (1963) hanging outside Cardiff Market, High Street, Cardiff. Pierhead Clock (1897) restored and reinstalled by Smith of Derby in 2011 as public art in St Mary Street, Cardiff The DNA Clock (2011), located in the foyer of Redcar Hospital
Public clock installations in Asia
Nagercoil Clock Tower, Nagercoil, India
DNA Clock at King Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Tower Clock at Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque, Muscat, Oman
16 operational clocks in Mecca/Makkah, Holy Haram, Saudi Arabia
Town Clock at Dammam, Saudi Arabia
Seif Palace, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Al-Mustansiriya University, Baghdad, Iraq
Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Central Bank of Oman, Muscat, Oman
Souq Square, Nizwa, Oman
Duthie's Clock Tower, Nagercoil
Ismaili Centre (JamatKhana), Hyderabad, Pakistan
Record-holding clocks
Guinness World Records: The world's largest pendulum-regulated clock is the Harmony Tower in Ganzhou, China. Guinness World Records: The world's largest steam clock is on the North Quay at St Helier, Jersey. The world's largest solar-powered clock is called 'The Beacon' and is installed as a feature clock at the University of Baghdad. The world's largest inclined clock is at Time Square in Al-Ain, UAE. The world's highest building mounted clock above street level is 170 metres above street level and is mounted on top of Boeing's Headquarters in Chicago. The world's largest mechanical tower clock is also the Harmony Tower in Ganzhou, China. The world's most remote public clock is owned by the Queen of Tonga.
In addition to these clock installations, Smith of Derby also manufactures some of the world's most expensive Islamic Prayer Clocks. The Prayer Clocks are customisable and can be designed to include precious metals and gems.
