Brief: Restore Douai’s bell tower clock in anticipation of the belfry’s inclusion in a UNESCO World Heritage Site
 

Details: Restore the south clock face (the oldest) and remodel the other faces to match. A project carried out by the Paschal workshop after it had successfully restored the carillon bells and had designed and built a new type of electronic control box for them.  A box which is still in use!
 

Etapes de réalisation :

• complete a study of the state of repair of the monument
• carry out archival research to determine the exact original specifications of the south clock face; draw up a new specification to match
• choose master craftsmen capable of carrying out the work to the correct specifications and in the traditional way:
  • the foundry for the 2.6m diameter bronze casings
  • the metalworker for the copper hands shaped like fleur de lys
  • the Auvergnat company specialised in making clock faces from enamelled lava

Project steps – continued:

• Supervision of the production of the clock faces in the Auvergne – cutting, machining and enamelling the rock, as well as its transport to site
• Supervising and co-ordinating the subcontractors’ work – foundry, metalworker, enameller, mason, gilder and joiner
  • take down the steel casings and deliver them to the foundry
  • take down the hands and deliver them to the metalworker
  • our workshops undertake the restoration of the south clock face: take down the broken or split lava plaques.  Reassemble the broken pieces on a plywood back.  Drill the back of the clock face pieces and insert rods to attach them to the backing.
  • design a secure packaging for transporting the casings from the foundry
• Installation:
  • install the 400kg casings using a crane. Fix them on the sub frame
  • mount the 360kg clock face in the casings, a step which requires the help of the whole company to ensure the clock facings can be put in place without damaging them
• Final touches by the gilder who gilded the George and the listel of the casing
• Official acceptance of works