Biography

At the time of the Second World War, my grandfather worked here in York at the instrument and clockmaker Cooke, Troughton and Simms. To this day, a few of his hand tools remain as a reminder of what it is like to carry forward "clockmaker" to a third generation.  Although my background is in retail jewellery - a family business established by Arthur Read in 1948 and continued to this day by my brother Julian Read - clockmaking became an itch that needed scratching.  At the turn of the Millennium, following a period of post-graduate training at West Dean College, I joined the Royal Observatory Greenwich as Assistant Curator and Conservator.   This prestigious post cemented my relationship with conservative practice.  From London I returned to self-employment, establishing my studio-workshop in the North, primarily working for Museum and Heritage institutions such as The National Trust, the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford, and historic houses. In 2008 I was invited to teach at West Dean College, Sussex, where I remained as Programme leader, Clocks and Metals for eight years.  More recently I completed a three-year contract at The Bowes Museum to direct a new arts and community initiative, The Bowes Centre.  Today I maintain a wide portfolio of activities from clock repair and conservation services, to printed and digital content creation.

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        Matthew