Restore or Leave It
I bought this Will Barker of Wigan clock cheap at auction. He's know for the "complexity" of his movements and you can see some of that here.
It's running surprisingly well, still need to check bushings and pivots, mechanism condition. Bonnet was dropped and glass is broken, lots of moulding is loose. Will repair that and replace glass. There are makers who produce with era appropriate methods, not float glass. The dial is very rusty and not in great condition (see pic).
My question: do I go full in and clean it up, very sympathetically. Have a clock that runs and looks great or do I leave it be, otherwise I destroy the historical value? Not going to pay for professional historical restoration but I could definitely get this clock looking and working great.
Not a big poster, but value the insight from this Reddit thread. Looking for thoughts and opinions here!
Posted Feb 7, 2026, 11:02 PM UTC