[vasco]

I was watching a programme the other day and noticed the clock at Greenwich had 53 Leadenhall Street on it. A quick google has brought this up in wikepedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shepherd_gate_clock

vasco

[Sister Eleff]

Fascinating, thank you for the link.

[ROBERT HENDERSON]

Very interesting, I wonder what the equivalent costs would be today.

Regards Robert

[ALAN TYLER]

An interesting story, but this made me wonder when did Houlders move to 53 Leadenhall St. After searching through my "100 Years of Houlders" book. Evidently they moved from 146 Leadenhall St to 53 in January 1922.

[BOB.WHITTAKER]

There is another timepiece showing 53,Leadenhall st. this is on display in a museum in Worcester, it was some 10 years ago that I saw it ,unfortunately I cannot bring to mind the exact location or details. Interestingly when I commented to my wife , who was alongside me at the time ,about the significance of the address another visitor who was passing was also aware of the Houlder and Furness Withy connection with number 53. Unbelievably as I write this I am listening to a replay on BBC 7 of a Goon Show of February 1955 , this refers to "The six ingots of Leadenhall St." Whatever they might be.

[ALAN TYLER]

Hi Bob, Just been looking at the script of the show on the Goon Show web-site, evidently the 6 ingots were gold that had been stolen from the Bank of England. Though why Leadenhall street? At the end of the script theres mention of the true story relating to the Sydney St siege which was also mentioned in the script. Alan.

[Ian6]

On the 'Master & Slave' clock system. Obviously this system was a God-send on passenger ships so that adjusting the master (usually on the bridge) corrected all the repeaters around the ship as you moved east and west.
When P&O's Canton went for scrap in 1962 the company had planned to strip everything useful out in London before she sailed, but an impending Dock Strike meant a hurried exit "fully furnished".
On arrival in HK there was a semi-official souvenir hunt by all aboard (I still have a 1930's Art Deco ashtray but the desk fan has long gone). The Indian crew left with all the repeater clocks, one each, which probably didn't work too well back home when the master clock remained onboard.
Ian