Yankee Magazine’s March/April issue, on newsstands now, features 20 individuals who repair broken treasures—from clocks to books and more—in an article called “The Fixers.” The 10-page article opens with a full-page photograph of Ray Bates, shown sporting a loupe, an eye-piece that helps him view the inner working of the pre-Industrial Revolution clocks that he repairs along with the help of his son, Richard.
“Bates has a long history with clocks and watches,” writes senior editor Ian Aldrich. “Born and raised in Scotland, he first began repair work at the age of 16. Always mechanically inclined, Bates was steeped in antique watch and clock repair work as a teenager, when he embarked on an intensive five-year apprenticeship in Edinburgh. Attention to detail, patience, and exceptional hand/eye coordination are a few of the big requisites.”
Yankee’s entire March/April issue shares an overarching theme of keeping and repairing what one has, rather than throwing something away. As the economy changes and people become more cautious about making purchases, they become all the more aware of the need to preserve what they do have. We have seen an upsurge of owners of antique clocks bringing them here to be repaired and restored to full working order. Besides returning them to their full mechanical integrity, they also bring the clock back to its full value as an antique timepiece.
For more information about Ray and Richard Bates, dba The British Clockmaker, their website is a treasure trove of informative and entertaining clock lore, photographs and videos: www.thebritishclockmaker.com
“When I saw the pages of the current issue, I was struck by how many stories reflected the New England ethic of holding on to good things—whether a piece of land that no potential developer’s entreaties can wrest from a farmer, or a commemoration of a blood-soaked day that launched a revolution, or those treasures that you want to keep forever, hoping to one day pass them along to loved ones like in ‘The Fixers’,” says Yankee Magazine’s editor Mel Allen. “Here’s hoping that when you finish reading this issue, you’ll have a greater appreciation for a region that is ever-changing yet somehow never loses sight of its roots, which grow deeper each day.”
Yankee is read by nearly 2 million readers nationwide. It is the only magazine devoted to New England through its coverage of travel, home, food, and feature stories.
For more information about Yankee Magazine’s March/April issue, visit: YankeeMagazine.com.
Yankee Magazine was founded in 1935 and is based in Dublin, New Hampshire. It is the only magazine devoted to New England through its coverage of travel, home, food, and feature stories. With an average circulation of more than 350,000 and a total audience of nearly 2 million readers, it is published by Yankee Publishing Incorporated (YPI), a family-owned, independent magazine publisher. YPI also owns the nation’s oldest continuously produced periodical, The Old Farmer’s Almanac. More information about Yankee: New England’s Magazine is available at: YankeeMagazine.com/press.