University News Last updated 26 April 2017
As part of the School of Jewellery Employability Week, BA (Hons) Horology students across all years were given the opportunity to take part in a mini symposium focused on the role of conservation in modern horology.
Three prominent conservationist professionals, Keith Scobie-Younds, Mike Flannery and Rory McEvoy, came in to talk about their work, opportunities in their field, offer advice on possible career paths and answer any questions students had.
Keith Scobie-Younds was the first guest speaker of the day. As well as being a well-known and respected member of the trade, he is also an alumni of the School of Jewellery. Since graduating Keith has worked on numerous flagship horological projects including work for English heritage and the National Trust, as well as being the proprietor of Cumbria Clocks. He explained how diverse horology is and the different avenues students could explore with their degrees. Commenting on his talk, second year student Tom Felton-Smith said:
The second presentation was given by Mike Flannery, known to students for his ‘View from the bench’ column in the Horological Journal. He spoke about professionalism in pricing and customer service, the image of the clock repairer, and is one of the few independent clock repairers to have achieved Professional Accreditation as Conservators and Restorers by the Institute of Conservation, a leading voice for the conservation of cultural heritage in the UK.
Rory McEvoy, Curator of Horology at Greenwich Royal Observatory, concluded the talks with some of the interesting and challenging conservation work recently carried out at the Observatory, and highlighted the importance of applying for internships and getting experience with people who are already in the industry. Throughout his presentation he spoke about the endless learning opportunities in the horological field and the importance of meeting people from other disciplines, citing textile conservators, restorers and cabinet makers as just a few of the other people who have been integral in helping him with conservation projects.
The day was an excellent opportunity for students to not only hear from speakers in the industry, but to network and learn more about the options available to them after they graduate. Reflecting on the day, second year student Lawrence Jones and third year student Ruth Dobie said:
This was the first time several speakers had come in to talk collaboratively over a day to BA (Hons) Horology students and after its huge success it will no doubt be the first of many to come.