Published 20:03 IST, October 24th 2020
UK Queen's staff to spend 40 hours changing her 1,000 clocks; see the royal collection
Royal staff is assigned the job of altering over 1,000 timepieces by Queen Elizabeth II. There are 50 clocks installed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, alone.
Royal Collection Trust staff will change more than 1,000 clocks’ timing installed at Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Palace of Holyrood house, and in all of Queen’s official residences this weekend as British Summer Time wraps up. On October 23, the clocks go back an hour with the onset of winters, and the UK switches to Greenwich Mean Time. Royal Collection, which includes musical clocks, astronomical clocks, miniature clocks, and turret clocks, is supposed to be adjusted over the weekend, which can take an estimated more than 40 hours.
According to the Buckingham Palace's release, there's a range of mechanical innovation in Queen's clock collections from over the centuries as per the tastes of monarchs that have ruled in succession. Royal staff is assigned the job of altering over 1,000 timepieces. There are 50 clocks installed at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, alone. the Queen has appointed a team of horological conservators who are allocated the task of working through the weekend in order to tune the time accurately with the GMT. According to sources of UK's Belfast daily, that would mean the manpower will be engaged in changing needles for 450 timepieces at Windsor Castle, 600 at Buckingham Palace, and several other century-old clocks hung across Queen's residences.
Earlier, Buckingham Palace hosted an art exhibition, in which it will portray some of the most admired and masterpieces art collection for the 'first time ever'. Artistic pieces composed by Rembrandt, Rubens, Titian, Vermeer, Van Dyck, Canaletto, and many more went on display due to its temporary removal to revamp the Palace’s aging wiring and antiquated lead pipes. Some of the most iconic works, also a favourite of the queen, were shown to the visitors.
[Room at Windsor Castle. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II /Royal Collection Trust.]
[A conservator adjusts a clock in Buckingham Palace. © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II / Royal Collection Trust]
Paintings removed due to renovation
As many as 65 old paintings from the Royal Collection were assembled together after they were removed from the staterooms due to the renovations. The Queen’s “favourite” collection that included Dutch and Italian art pieces were shifted to the gallery as the £369million refurbishment work started in the palace. Her majesty’s most “treasured” painting Rembrandt's The Shipbuilder and his Wife (1633) and other similar works by some of the prominent artists like Vermeer and Canaletto were displayed, which has only been witnessed by either the guests or the reception workers.
Updated 20:02 IST, October 24th 2020