Biography
A long time ago, in the 1880s in fact, a little boy living in Yarm, Yorkshire, England, was given a music box by his father, for his 7th birthday. His fascination for this mechanical marvel instilled in Archibald Clapham a fascination for all things clockwork and led him to form the collection now known as Claphams Clock Museum, one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of clocks, timepieces and music boxes in the southern hemisphere.

Although moving to New Zealand, one of the remotest parts of the British Empire, through persistence, hard work, and an overriding passion for clocks, Arch accumulated around 500 items which he proudly displayed in his house, open to anyone who cared to make the short trip from Whangarei. After his death in 1962, the new owner of the collection, the Whangarei District Council, has built the collection up to 1500 items and rehoused it five times, making it one of Whangarei's foremost tourist attractions.

Horologists, clock lovers and visitors rate this collection as one of the most varied in the world and certainly one of the most accessible. Where else would children be invited to help wind up a 200 year old tower clock from Germany and then be allowed to start it chiming. The collection includes items from way back in "time" such as shadow clocks, water clocks and candle clocks.


The oldest mechanical clock, a lantern clock from Sudbury, England. dates 1720 and is still happily ticking away and ringing out the hours. There are grandfather clocks from 1760 onwards, tower clocks, skeleton clocks, musical bird clocks, cuckoo clocks, children's clocks, gravity clocks, hobby clocks, in fact clocks of all descriptions.

The items in the collection originate from all around the world, particularly Germany, France, England and the U.S.A. There are also wonderful clocks from Austria, Japan. Netherlands. Switzerland, Russia and even Australia. Mingling amongst the timepieces are music boxes up to 200 years old, still entertaining visitors with their centuries old tunes and sounding as good today as they ever did. Many of the tunes are still known today so visitors are encouraged to sing along.

A resident clock maker from Austria is on hand to maintain the working clocks and gradually restore the remainder to their original condition, so the museum is a symphony of sounds, chiming bells, cuckoos calling, trumpets blowing, and music boxes playing.


Regular donations add about 100 items to the total each year so the collection has a life of its own.
Regular tours from well informed entertaining guides mean that even the least knowledgeable visitor leaves with an experience they wont easily forget.

The gift shop attached to the museum retails everything from pocket watches to grandfather clocks so a memory that will last a lifetime can be taken home, perhaps the beginning of your own personal collection.
       

The museum is easy to find at the Whangarei Town Basin, just look for the huge sundial outside, the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. Whangarei's climate means that it is usually working.

Why not spend some quality "Time" with us and relive an era when beauty and workmanship was all important and clocks were made to last forever!

If it's Clocks, It's Claphams Clocks!