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All the United Kingdom England Upton Museum of Timekeeping

Museum of Timekeeping

A magnificent mansion hides a delightful collection of historic timepieces.

Upton, England

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E Capemarsh
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Turret Clock of 1875   andrewrabbott
Upton Hall, home to the Museum since 1994.   Andy Stephenson
Turret Clock of 1842   andrewrabbott
The Speaking Clock   Andrewrabbott
  Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
  Steve 55 / Atlas Obscura User
Turret Clock of 1920   Andrewrabbott
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About

The grandly named British Horological Institute opened its volunteer-run Museum of Timekeeping in 1994. The institute, which has been around since 1858, decamped to the small rural village of Upton, in Nottinghamshire, in 1979, when it took over Upton Hall, a beautiful and vacant 19th-century mansion.

Today, the institute educates and accredits a new generation of skilled craftspeople, keeping the enviable artistic and technical skills of clock and watchmaking ticking along into the 21st century.

The collection on public display at the institute's Museum of Timekeeping range from delicate watches to the most massive municipal chimes. Highlights include the weathered watch that once belonged to the ill-fated polar explorer Robert Falcon Scott, and an extraordinary assortment of historic turret clocks. These impressive mechanical wonders once graced public buildings and were of particular societal importance before the advent of personal timepieces.

One of the museum’s proudest artifacts is the original ‘speaking clock,’ a monstrous machine that played a crisply annunciated recorded message of the correct current time to anyone who cared to dial a specific telephone number.

Related Tags

Clocks Horology Niche Museums Time

Know Before You Go

Visitors to the volunteer-run museum have to be timely due to its limited opening hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays during summer months. The museum is, however, often open at other times for special events.

Upton can be reached by number 29 buses bound for Southwell from Newark-on-Trent, which is on the main railway line between London and Edinburgh. The Hall is set back from the main road, but there is little chance you will miss the signs that advertise its presence.

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Capemarsh

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Steve 55

  • Steve 55

Published

June 13, 2018

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  • https://www.visit-nottinghamshire.co.uk/things-to-do/museum-of-timekeeping-p720351
  • http://www.museumoftimekeeping.org.uk
  • http://bhi.co.uk
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Horological_Institute
Museum of Timekeeping
Upton Hall
Main Street
Upton, England
United Kingdom
53.081811, -0.904479
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Nearby Places

The Workhouse

Southwell, England

miles away

The Leaves of Southwell

Southwell, England

miles away

The Archbishop's Palace

Southwell, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,199
Stories 144

Nearby Places

The Workhouse

Southwell, England

miles away

The Leaves of Southwell

Southwell, England

miles away

The Archbishop's Palace

Southwell, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,199
Stories 144

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