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Team prepares to spring forward Sudbury clocks

Lucy Ferriby-StocksReporter, Derby
News imageNational Trust Images/Janine Sterland Picture of a young brown haired woman wearing glasses in a rainbow striped jumper. She is changing the time on a grandfather clock, wearing blue gloves and is smiling at the camera.National Trust Images/Janine Sterland
Catherine Sousa said she used to be nervous changing the time on the clocks but is now used to the job

With British Summer Time (BST) on the horizon, the team at The Children's Country House at Sudbury are preparing themselves for a busy day in the office.

Catherine Sousa, collections and house officer, has the task of changing the time on up to 16 clocks in the National Trust-owned property.

She said moving the hands forwards for the start of British Summer Time (BST) was "easier" then moving them backwards in the winter but there was still "lots to do".

"The number one rule is not move the hands backwards," Sousa added.

News imageNational Trust Images/Janine Sterland Picture of a brown haired woman with glasses looking at a clock on the top of a fireplace. National Trust Images/Janine Sterland
The oldest clock in The Children's Country House dates back to 1695

Sousa said it took about an hour for herself and her team to wind the clocks every week but changing the times added to this.

She said "luckily" nothing has ever come off any of the clocks "yet" during the winding process.

The oldest clock in the collection, an eight-day Peter Wise London English walnut clock, dates back to about 1695, Sousa said.

The clock only has one gear for the pendulum, meaning no there is no strike for the clock, but it makes a "lovely ticking sound" in the library, she added.

News imageNational Trust Images/Janine Sterland Two pictures, one of a mechanical clock under a dome and one of a brown haired woman with glasses cleaning the clock once the glass dome has been lifted off. National Trust Images/Janine Sterland
Catherine Sousa is also responsible for winding a Victorian skeleton clock in Lord Vernon's study

Lord Vernon's study is home to a Victorian skeleton clock, where the inner workings are covered by a glass dome.

Catherine said she "holds [her] breath" every time she removes the dome from the clock to access the mechanism to change the time on the clock, as the dome is worth as much as the clock itself.

She said changing the time on the clock was a "little precarious" but she has now got used to it after a few years of practice.

This year clocks will change to BST at 01:00 on Sunday.

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