The daughter of a talented clockmaker says she is “blown away” by the restoration of his finest work.
Ron Woodford was a cabinet maker by trade but his passion was making giant wooden clocks, working day and night on his creations including Old Oily, which features on The Repair Shop tonight.
Ron passed away in 1990, aged 65, and Old Oily, which stands at nearly three metres tall, has since been stored in boxes at a pickle factory in Leicester.
Determined to restore the piece to its former glory, Ron’s daughter Monica Norton and her husband Andrew, both 70, were advised to get in touch with Steve Fletcher, the resident horologist on the heartwarming BBC show.
“Our friend thought Steve was the only chap who could restore it really, bring it back to its former glory,” said Monica, a grandmother of four from Leicestershire. “When I saw it I was blown away, it’s the first time I’d seen it up and working. Steve was unbelievable and for him to do that for us, we will be forever in his debt.”
“Ron would be so proud and thankful, he really would,” added Andrew. “It encapsulates his work - his lifetime of skills is in that clock.”
Viewers will see the craftsman and his son Fred strip the clock back, treating parts of the wood to restore it to its former glory and replacing rusty bearings before rebuilding the work and - crucially - seeing if it ticks.
“I absolutely love unusual clocks and this one is just fantastic,” said Steve on the show. “I’ve never seen a mechanism like this before.
“I’ve never seen such amazing wood craftsmanship like this in a clock. It’s like a real sculpture.”
The work was originally made for a horological display in Dallas, Texas, in 1983, taking inspiration from the city’s drilling rigs. It took an estimated 2,000 hours to build.
“Every aspect of it was a drilling rig,” said Andrew. “The supports are the drilling derricks, the weight is an oil drum and the counter weight is a drilling bit.
“Ron’s passion was always to create uniqueness. One of the biggest challenges he faced was how to get the escapement - the little wheel at the top which ticks and gradually releases the weight. He patented a roller system to eliminate the friction.
“I’ve seen the clock a few times and I’m still in awe.”
Ron made five clocks in total and Monica says Old Oily was his best. He was inspired by his uncle, an expert clockmaker who passed on his skills.
“My parents both died far too young, my mum Charlotte passed away in 1987 and my dad in 1990,” said Monica. “He had so much left to offer and create.
“There’s not a day goes by when I don’t think of him and I keep his memory alive with my kids and my grandchildren.”
Old Oily is one of three of Ron’s clocks on display at the Museum of Timekeeping at the British Horological Institute at Upton Hall in Nottinghamshire.
“He was such a talented man and our dream has always been to let people see that for themselves,” said Andrew.
*The Repair Shop starts tonight at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
