From the earliest times, measuring time has been the preserve of skilled craftsmen. To their artistry and painstaking precision is owed centuries of accurate timekeeping, and it is through their expertise & talent that the clock as we know it has developed.

 

Of course with mass production techniques, much of the clockmakers original skill has been by-passed. Today, there are but a few dedicated craftsmen keeping this traditional art alive.

 

From a secluded farmhouse above Killinchy Post Office in County Down, Peter Martin continues a craft which was centuries old.

 

His all wooden clock movements require workmanship of the highest degree. Each finished clock represents forty meticulous hours of hand crafting using traditional clockmakers hand tools. Clock Making combines creativity with mechanical know-how.

 

As a craftman, Peter's first love is with his materials, and indeed it is the distinctive wood of his clocks that gives them a truly Irish feel. Not surprisingly, then he gives particular consideration to the timber he buys. For him the criteria of quality are simple - a striking grain, a rich colour and good crafting potential - demands which are easy to define but harder to satisfy. Fortunately a local merchant has been able to meet this high standard and these beautiful 'Irish Farmhouse Wooden Clocks' are fashioned from the finest oak.

 

Peter Martin's craft is in every sense a traditional one, and certainly his clocks strike a chord of nostalgia in the memory of most people. But, to him, it is the continuation of an art that matters most. To every craftsman his work is like his own signature and Peter Martin's signature speaks for itself.