Aynsworth Thwaites John Thwaites was a clockmaker at the beginning of the 17th century and from this extended family
Aynsworth Thwaites founded the business about 1735 and is known to be in Rosoman Street,
Clerkenwell, London in 1740, and continued there until 1780. Thereafter the firm traded from Bowling Green Lane and in the 18th and 19th centuries became the most prolific in England producing turret and domestic clocks of all descriptions including rare musical clocks and was the main supplier to the Turkish market (the Ottoman Empire) (Cite The Musical Clock Arthur WJG Ord-Hume). The company's earliest recorded commission and still in use, was a turret clock for
Horseguards Parade made in 1740 but not finished until 1768, and a domestic long-clock about 1770 for the
British East India Company. The complexity of the Horseguards clock is the result of many previous years' clockmaking experience, but older work has not been identified.
John Thwaites Aynsworth was succeeded by
John Thwaites (c. 1757-1826), who was head of the firm from 1780, In 1816, Thwaites partnered with George Jeremiah Reed whereupon his widow, Henrietta, continued in partnership with George Jeremiah Reed (who was her nephew). From this time onwards the company's name was firmly established as 'Thwaites & Reed'. A century later, in 1982, the firm was appointed a
royal warrant as Turret Clockmakers to HM The Queen. Geoffrey Buggins realised that the business could not continue as it was, in the post-war world; however Simon Mackay (
Lord Tanlaw) a keen horologist and
FBHI took an interest and he became temporary owner, serving as Chairman from 1971-1974. He financed the series of replica clocks (over 10,000 built in limited editions): from 1972 to 1980 ten types of replica clocks (including the
Benjamin Franklin Clock,
Congreve Rolling Ball Clock, two reproductions of the historical
Giovanni di Dondi clock (by Peter Haward), various
skeleton clocks and the inclined Plane, Rack, and Rising Works Drum Clocks) were made as limited editions. The team of employees included two exceptionally talented clockmakers, John Vernon and Peter Haward. In 1977 a team from the firm, led by John Vernon, oversaw the rebuilding of the clock at the Palace of Westminster ('
Big Ben') following a structural failure. Geoffrey Buggins continued to operate the business pending its transfer as a going concern to the National Enterprise Board (and in doing so ensured the entire business, its assets, employees and historic records were seamlessly moved from a historic family firm to a modern incorporated business), which was eventually sold by the National Enterprise Board to F.W.Elliott Ltd (1978). Geoffrey Buggins resigned as a director and his family connections ceased. The Elliott family has since sold the business to the Lee family (1991), and the business continues to be manufacturers of turret and domestic clocks. == Clocks ==