A PROJECT to bring a Camelford craftsman’s clock back to the town is well underway, with donations now being sought.

Philip Lessels, a Camelford town councillor and chairman of the Camelford History and Archive Trust, is looking forward to welcoming a Victorian clock back to the town, after discovering it on a Launceston antique expert’s eBay page.

The project, which he has named ‘Bring John Hockin Back to Camelford’, has become a big part of Cllr Lessels’ life, and he is now seeking donations from local people to help bring the clock back to Camelford — another big piece of the town’s history.

John Hockin was a clockmaker, who lived with his family at 62 Fore Street, and worked in the town from 1860 to 1900. The work that Cllr Lessels is so passionate about bringing home, is a Victorian 18-hour grandfather clock, which is made of pine and has ‘Hockin Camelford’, written on the dial.

The clock is currently in storage at Pennygillam Industrial Estate, Launceston, and is in ownership of Keith Hopper and his wife, who own As Time Goes By, an antique shop based in Launceston’s town square.

Cllr Lessels told the Post: “John Hockin was a clockmaker, who lived and worked in Camelford from 1860 to 1900. One of his clocks is in Launceston, and I want to bring it to its spiritual home, which is the museum in Camelford.

“My original thought has sparked some real imagination. I think it’s a good idea, and I’d be delighted to bring it back.”

Cllr Lessels has negotiated with Mr Hopper since discovering the clock on his eBay page, who has agreed to sell the clock to the Camelford History and Archive Trust, and is keen for the clock to be on public display in Camelford. He has also said that he will deliver it to the museum, located on Fore Street — just a few houses down from John Hockin’s former home — and will also reassemble it.

Cllr Lessels said: “There is some work going on in part of the museum at present, so I would be reluctant to bring anything back until that said work is completed. However, within the next month or so, I hope that we will be able to celebrate bringing the clock back to Camelford.

“It’s almost strange that we came across the clock — I think it has been waiting for its time to come home.”

Mr Hopper told the Post: “We know very little about it, really. Like with most of our items, we get them from relatives and friends of those who have died, so we tend to know very little because they are passed on to us.”

Mr Hopper, a keen collector of clocks himself, originally purchased the clock from the Holsworthy area, and suspects that it dates from somewhere in the region of 1860 and 1890.

The clock has been in possession of Mr Hopper for some time now, and he was pleased to know that Cllr Lessels had shown an interest in purchasing it, particularly because it would finally be reunited with its hometown.

When asked about his thoughts on the project, Mr Hopper added: “It’s excellent. I do the same thing myself, collecting clocks and bringing them back to what they would have originally been like. The fact that it will be going back to Camelford is brilliant.”

In order to bring the grandfather clock to Camelford, the Camelford History and Archive Trust first needs to raise £300 to purchase it, and are now seeking donations from local people.

Cllr Lessels continued: “It’s a very personal thing to Camelford, and we have raised nearly £80 in 24 hours. I’m always amazed when something, which I think is a good idea, turns out to actually be a good idea. It would be good for this to be a Camelford project, so I’d really like to see local people getting involved.”

The figure raised currently stands at £150 and they have until the end of March to reach £300.

Anyone wishing to make a donation, however small, can do so by visiting Stephens Home Hardware, where a collection point is located.

Cllr Lessels added: “This is an incredible opportunity to bring something back to Camelford, made by a Camelford craftsman, and to have it sat in the Camelford museum for all to see.”