Marsha > I'll bite - I'm intrigued. Details? > > Sorry, I should have sent you one direct. First the plot. I wanted to mark our 23rd wedding anniversary (my lucky and ubiquitous number) in a special way and also to spring a surprise on Michele. Despite the fact that a clockmaker connection has not been established, her mother (nee KNIBB) has always rued the fact that nobody in the family has a KNIBB clock. And at the prices a decent KNIBB clock would fetch nowadays that's hardly surprising. So I wondered whether I could find someone to make a miniature version and called in at a clockmakers in Knaresborough whom we had come across when out for a walk a while back. I was amazed to find in his showroom examples of modern full sized longcase clocks that he had made and was greatly impressed by his obvious expertise as a cabinet maker. He has made more than one for a local resident who has given them to his grandchildren - yes, their very own grandfather clock! Bit by bit we put together a proposal which has now borne fruit. But how to tell Michele? It didn't seem right just to have it delivered out of the blue and for us to have to instantly agree upon where it should reside in our house. The sting At Christmas-time we visited the house of a choir friend of hers who himself has a longcase clock (though in pieces!). Unbeknown to Michele, he was happy to play a part in my scam, as was the clockmaker. I prepared on the computer a select invitation card to an Easter Exhibition of Clocks at the firm's showroom in Knaresborough, offering a glass of champagne to all who attended. I arranged for it to be posted to Michele with a letter saying that he was unable to attend but for us to go along in his place. 'Enjoy the champagne' is how the letter ended. In this way I thought there was a chance of Michele not guessing that I was up to something, as she surely would have been if the invitation had come direct to us from Knaresborough. I knew that Michele's mother would be staying here for Easter so had made the invitation 'To admit 3 persons'. We all duly attended the 'Exhibition' on Maunday Thursday. Imagine the surprise when amongst the clocks on view there was one that looked distinctly like the one that graces the K/NIBB/S One Name Study website! Opening the case door, I invited Michele to read the script on the brass plate commemorating our 23rd! Much jubilation! The finshed product. The clock is absolutely magnificent and you are cordially invited to view it here in Leeds from Easter Saturday onwards. The woodworking is remarkable - for example those barley twists on either side of the hood have been hand carved and then quarter cut to fit into the uprights, just as the original. The movement has been made by a craftsman in Derbyshire. Befitting a KNIBB style clock, although the website one doesn't have this feature, it has been made with the exceedingly rare Roman Striking mechanism. In other words, there's a ding for one and a dong for five - see the website for full details of this KNIBB invention. It affords winding just once per month, in contrast to the more usual eight day clock. The dial is all hand engraved by another craftsman in Leicestershire and is faithfully true to the original, except that the traditional clock figure IIII appears as IV, which Joseph KNIBB himself used with his Roman Striking clocks. All in all, it is a wondrous work of art. I've not divulged to Michele how much it cost but believe me it's only a fraction of an original KNIBB timepiece. Nevertheless, I guess some people would find a high priced market for it which is why I'm telling you in confidence. You will appreciate that I don't know everyone on the mailing list and as the website has my address, I don't want to take any risks in this day and age of sophisticated crime. So Mum's the word but do come and visit. If not this year next! Meanwhile I shall try to make available a digital photograph of it. While you're here, I can show you the rest of my KNIBB memorabilia and, of course, we can spend as long as you like poring over the database. bfn Alan

Alan, You are a true romantic. What a sweet surprise. I can't imagine the pure joy that was in store for Michelle. Someday I hope to bring my one-and-only-for-nearly-30-years to visit. Cathy ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 3:54 PM Subject: Re: [K/NIBB/S] A very Good Friday > Marsha > > > I'll bite - I'm intrigued. Details? > > > > > Sorry, I should have sent you one direct. > > First the plot. > > I wanted to mark our 23rd wedding anniversary (my lucky and ubiquitous > number) in a special way and also to spring a surprise on Michele. > > Despite the fact that a clockmaker connection has not been established, her > mother (nee KNIBB) has always rued the fact that nobody in the family has a > KNIBB clock. And at the prices a decent KNIBB clock would fetch nowadays > that's hardly surprising. So I wondered whether I could find someone to make > a miniature version and called in at a clockmakers in Knaresborough whom we > had come across when out for a walk a while back. > > I was amazed to find in his showroom examples of modern full sized longcase > clocks that he had made and was greatly impressed by his obvious expertise as > a cabinet maker. He has made more than one for a local resident who has > given them to his grandchildren - yes, their very own grandfather clock! Bit > by bit we put together a proposal which has now borne fruit. But how to tell > Michele? It didn't seem right just to have it delivered out of the blue and > for us to have to instantly agree upon where it should reside in our house. > > > The sting > > At Christmas-time we visited the house of a choir friend of hers who himself > has a longcase clock (though in pieces!). Unbeknown to Michele, he was happy > to play a part in my scam, as was the clockmaker. I prepared on the computer > a select invitation card to an Easter Exhibition of Clocks at the firm's > showroom in Knaresborough, offering a glass of champagne to all who attended. > I arranged for it to be posted to Michele with a letter saying that he was > unable to attend but for us to go along in his place. 'Enjoy the champagne' > is how the letter ended. > > In this way I thought there was a chance of Michele not guessing that I was > up to something, as she surely would have been if the invitation had come > direct to us from Knaresborough. > > I knew that Michele's mother would be staying here for Easter so had made the > invitation 'To admit 3 persons'. We all duly attended the 'Exhibition' on > Maunday Thursday. > > Imagine the surprise when amongst the clocks on view there was one that > looked distinctly like the one that graces the K/NIBB/S One Name Study > website! Opening the case door, I invited Michele to read the script on the > brass plate commemorating our 23rd! Much jubilation! > > > The finshed product. > > The clock is absolutely magnificent and you are cordially invited to view it > here in Leeds from Easter Saturday onwards. The woodworking is remarkable - > for example those barley twists on either side of the hood have been hand > carved and then quarter cut to fit into the uprights, just as the original. > > The movement has been made by a craftsman in Derbyshire. Befitting a KNIBB > style clock, although the website one doesn't have this feature, it has been > made with the exceedingly rare Roman Striking mechanism. In other words, > there's a ding for one and a dong for five - see the website for full details > of this KNIBB invention. It affords winding just once per month, in contrast > to the more usual eight day clock. > > The dial is all hand engraved by another craftsman in Leicestershire and is > faithfully true to the original, except that the traditional clock figure > IIII appears as IV, which Joseph KNIBB himself used with his Roman Striking > clocks. > > All in all, it is a wondrous work of art. I've not divulged to Michele how > much it cost but believe me it's only a fraction of an original KNIBB > timepiece. Nevertheless, I guess some people would find a high priced market > for it which is why I'm telling you in confidence. You will appreciate that > I don't know everyone on the mailing list and as the website has my address, > I don't want to take any risks in this day and age of sophisticated crime. > So Mum's the word but do come and visit. If not this year next! Meanwhile I > shall try to make available a digital photograph of it. > > While you're here, I can show you the rest of my KNIBB memorabilia and, of > course, we can spend as long as you like poring over the database. > > bfn > > Alan > > > > ============================== > To join Ancestry.com and access our 1.2 billion online genealogy records, go to: > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=571&sourceid=1237 >