"Thwaites & Reed has been in continuous manufacture since its foundation and claims to be the oldest clock manufacturing company in the world. Geoffrey Buggins MBE, ...
the last of the original family clockmakers, saw drawings of Thwaites clocks dating back to 1610. These drawings and other early records prior to 1780 went missing but other records from that date are stored with the London Metropolitan Archives. Further records are stored by Thwaites & Reed up to present day. Dunstable Town Council archives had their Catalogue of Turret Clocks etc in booklet form made up to 1878 claiming upward of 4,000 church and turret clocks made in their factory since the establishment of the business, and there is a later incomplete list showing the date of supply and purchasers of turret clocks to 1902. The business of John Moore, a former apprentice, was acquired in 1899. Up to 1900, 2978 domestic clocks were made with serial numbers in chronological order. Other clocks were not listed, but from 1972 to 1980 ten types of replica clocks including the Benjamin Franklin Clock, Congreve Rolling Ball Clock, various skeleton clocks and the inclined Plane, Rack, Rising Works Drum Clocks, were made as limited editions.. For 30 years, it maintained all the clocks at the Palace of Westminster, including the Great Clock. Other than Thwaites & Reed, associated tradenames are Aynsworth Thwaites, John Thwaites, and was trade supplier of movements to many well known historic clockmakers including Dutton, Dwerrihouse, Ellicott and Vulliamy and in more recent times well known retailers including The Franklin Mint, Asprey and Garrards. During its ownership by FW Elliott Ltd it also made movements under the Elliott brand." - (en.wikipedia.org 10.08.2021)
