Lionel Blowes found his vocation at the age of 13. Nearly 40 years
later, he is unique in his craft. His first big job was for E Dent
& Co in Pall Mall, the company that made Big Ben's famous clock
in 1854, but for the past two decades he has worked from home in the
house where he was born.
Silent, save for the ticking of clocks, Lionel's workshop is as neat
as a pin. Tiny chests of drawers hold small tools and tins with labels
such as "black dial wax". Every screw, bolt and nut is made
by hand from steel and brass - the only part of a clock that he doesn"t
make himself is the glass.
Lionel makes, restores and repairs clocks of all ages, types and sizes,
painstakingly making new dials and hands, copying the old ones meticulously
and cutting the filigree shapes by hand. He does not work with watches
and does not advertise.
Lionel Blowes FBHI, PO Box 6625, London E7 8RR
