Loomes of Stamford clock and watch shop to close at the end of May

A small business that has brought craftsmanship and interest to the area will close at the end of this month.

Loomes of Stamford was established 32 years ago by Robert Loomes and his wife, Robina Hill. It was first based in St Leonard’s Street, then moved to St Mary’s Hill.

Robert began working, aged 19, with his father Brian Loomes, a clock dealer based in the Yorkshire Dales. Five years later, and having met Robina while on holiday in Bolivia, the couple decided to set up their own business, Loomes of Stamford.

“Robina had said, ‘if you two stay working together, you will fall out’,” said Robert.

“In fact, my father had set up his business after working and falling out with his dad, who was in the same trade. It does seem people who work in clocks and watches fall out with their fathers.”

Robina and Robert chose to locate themselves in Stamford because it is ‘halfway between Yorkshire and London’, and found premises in Olive Branch Yard, at the top end of St Leonard’s Street.

They were there for about a decade before moving to the double-fronted Grade II listed premises on the north-west end of Stamford’s Town Bridge.

Over the years, Robert and Robina employed about 35 members of staff and took on numerous people for work experience - one of which, a Casterton College pupil, enjoyed it so much he is now a senior watchmaker for a large Swiss firm.

Meanwhile, Robert studied with The British Horological Institute through part-time distance learning, qualifying at the age of 30 and becoming a fellow of the institute at 40. He made such an impression he was invited to be director of education, then chairman, a post he held until last year.

As a result of his posts with the internationally renowned institute, which trains people to make and restore timepieces, Robert at one point found himself in Switzerland lecturing the Swiss on watchmaking, with the heads of Rolex and Omega in the front row.

“The best thing I’ve done in my work is to try to be the best at what I do,” he said.

“The job has given me a wonderful life - it’s been very fulfilling.”

Among their memorable achievements was producing ‘Loomes Original’ watches, including supplying a pair of entirely British-made Loomes watches to climbers who scaled Everest while wearing them. One was then auctioned for The Mountain Trust and the other for The Gurkha Welfare Trust, between them raising £22,500.

Only 200 Loomes watches with all-British components have been created, making them highly collectible. Robert wears one of their own, made a quarter of a century ago.

“It keeps excellent time,” he says, proudly.

While the headline-grabbing achievements of Loomes of Stamford have featured new timepieces, those that have given Robert the most pleasure date back hundreds of years.

“When you look at a clock that was built in 1650 and it’s still going, it is incredible to think of and you have to look after it,” he said.

“It has been working for so long and you want to make sure it keeps going for at least the next 10 years. They are the most rewarding jobs, and sometimes the most surprising.”

For Robert, clock and watch repair is like a puzzle: best tackled by someone who is enthusiastic, a ‘mechanic’, and who enjoys working alone.

One of the toughest challenges he was set by a customer was to restore a bracket clock from the 1840s that had eight bells originally, but had been changed to play a ‘Westminster Chime’ on four bells.

“The customer wanted it to go back to having eight bells, so I had four new ones cast and tuned before adding them back into the mechanism. It wasn’t just a puzzle, it was also quite expensive - and it was a challenge quite early in my career.” said Robert.

Robert was diagnosed with cancer five years ago, aged 51. The sarcoma manifested at first as a lump in his right forearm, which he had removed during the height of the covid pandemic. The surgeon managed to save the movement in all of his fingers, allowing him to continue his delicate work.

Robina and Robert had been living with the knowledge his cancer was incurable, then, at the end of last year Robina also became ill.

Her health declined rapidly over Christmas and she died in February, aged 62. All Saints’ Church in Stamford was packed for her funeral service, at which Robert paid tribute to the lively, caring woman who had filled his life with fun.

Robert decided he could not continue the business, and wrote to his customers in February, giving them three months’ notice to ensure all clocks and watches are returned to them before the premises closes at the end of May.

All eight of his employees have found alternative work, with those skilled in the trade going to work for similar businesses. One is moving to a watchmaker’s in Ketton.

Reflecting on the end of his business, Robert said: “It feels wonderful to have worked with such lovely customers and staff in an equally wonderful town.

“Running a business and roles at The British Horological Institute have been demanding on my time over the years. People have asked me, do I have a bucket list to fulfil once I finish working? The answer is no - I don’t want to go skydiving.

“I want to spend my time in Stamford - I’ve discovered you can go to The London Inn and have breakfast and a drink for £5.95 - and I want to spend time catching up with friends.

“It’s about enjoying the little things that make life pleasurable.”