It was another ‘away day’ for Retford Men’s Probus Club when they met for an extraordinary meeting on Friday 11th November.
The venue on this occasion was the British Horological Institute, Upton Hall – often called the Museum of Timekeeping. Host and guide for the day, Dave Ellis, talked members through the exhibits on display from early sundials, clocks, and watches to TIM the speaking clock.
An interesting fact: in its heyday, calls to TIM were around 30 million calls annually at 50p per call – a nice little earner for the Post Office! Small wonder that there have been so many renditions of the speaking clock over the years; members saw four versions. The most popular days for calls to TIM were Remembrance Day and New Year’s Eve.
On completion of the conducted tour the group was invited to spend time wandering around the items on exhibit, which were many and varied. A very informative day and another successful outing for the local group!
For more information about the club and how to attend, visit www.retfordmensprobusclub.org.uk, email probyte@retfordmensprobusclub.org.uk or phone the Secretary on 07542 852037.