In December 2019, my book entitled Time Piece, a history of James Blair and the clocks, clock & watchmakers of Kilwinning, 1719-2019, was published by Kilwinning Heritage and launched at an event at Nethermains Community Centre, in January 2020. It sold out in the first year and was subsequently reprinted. It has now been updated and revised with full-colour clocks and clock-owner stories; and explores clockmaker histories with some surprising results! Read on for the path to the original Time Piece, and on to its new companion Second Time, and how to get copies of both!”
My initial research back in the Spring of 2019, was to find out more about James Blair, maker of the clock in the Abbey Tower. There didn’t seem to be much documentation in Kilwinning Heritage records. I was also fascinated by the original James Blair clock dial, an exhibit on the ground floor of the Abbey Tower Heritage Centre. I recall one exceptionally windy afternoon, with the rain coming down in sheets, when I was on volunteer guide duty at the Abbey Tower, along with Anje Jay and some others. As we were unlikely to get any visitors, I decided to examine the dial along with Anje, and we even went so far as to take it down off the wall! From these small beginnings, I began to gather more information about James Blair and his clocks, assisted by Jeni Park of Kilwinning Heritage, Internet searches, and Public Records.
The next critical stage was discovering, and subsequently buying, Donald Whyte’s comprehensive compendium of around 8000 workers in the clock and watch making trade in Scotland, from 1453 to 19001. I was delighted to find an entry for James Blair, Kilwinning and a photo of one of his clocks. Knowing that Andrew Johnston and his son and grandson had been notable 19thc/20thC Clock and watchmakers in Kilwinning, I also checked for them, and again was pleased to see they were mentioned.
It then occurred to me that there might be other Kilwinning clockmakers listed. However, there is no index, as all the entries are listed alphabetically in the text. The only solution was to read through every single entry, over 300 pages, and note any that mentioned a clockmaker and Kilwinning! As I could only do three letters of the alphabet per day (before getting blurred vision) this took me a full week! But it paid off, because I uncovered a further five other clockmakers: James Stirrat, David Loudon, William Allan, Hugh Millar, William Torry, plus clockmaker apprentices. A newspaper article from Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald in 1882 revealed yet another: James Gibson. The original project was now growing legs!
Time Piece went on to mention all the clockmakers, watchmakers, and apprentices that turned up in searches. It then went on to include the four town bells; the clocks in two other Kilwinning buildings: the Mansefield Church and Eglinton Ironworks Institute; Kilwinning station clock; and concluding with Lord Eglinton’s clock. My main focus with Time Piece had been James Blair, and at the time I didn’t delve too deeply into the backgrounds and histories of the other clockmakers. I also found “a tangle of James Blairs” which at the time I couldn’t solve.
Over the years since publication, Kilwinning Heritage has been notified of a number of Kilwinning made clocks, by their owners in the UK and North America. 2024 seemed like a good time to revisit the clockmakers. Hence the publication of Second Time: a Companion to Time Piece which expands the histories of all the clockmakers listed and records the beautiful clocks that have been shared with us over the last few years. As a free download, it can be updated regularly, as new information and new clocks come to light. And yes, “the tangle of James Blairs” has now been resolved!
Time Piece (2019), published by Kilwinning Heritage, available from www.kilwinningheritage.org.uk/shop
Second Time (2024), published by Kilwinning Heritage, available as a free download from www.kilwinningheritage.org.uk/downloads
Heather Upfield is a member of Kilwinning Heritage and Antiquarian Horological Society
© Heather Upfield, 21 June 2024, Kilwinning
- Whyte, D (2005). Clockmakers & Watchmakers of Scotland, Mayfield Books, Ashbourne, Derbyshire ↩︎