There are more than 30 clocks in Jim and Chloe Read’s house. Few of them tell the correct time, but that’s not the point. This fabulous collection of timepieces is a reminder of what earns them their keep. In 1991, when the couple were 18 and 21 respectively, they launched Newgate Clocks from a room in their first flat. “We’d dreamt of our own business,” says Jim. “So I flogged the Mini Moke and bought some second-hand framing equipment. Designing and making clocks grew out of that.”

Their first trade fair was a raging success, with orders for their vintage-feel designs coming from Harrods as well as several Italian, Spanish and French retailers. “We got 700 orders and Jim made them all himself,” says Chloe, who insists that Jim’s the creative partner while she’s the trader. “I love the dealing side of things, which is why I dropped out of university. I wanted to make money.” From these humble beginnings the company has grown to a 30-strong workforce today.

The Reads and their children, Ruby, 6, Buster, 4, and Lola, 18 months, live in a red-brick, listed Welsh vicarage, built in 1850. While it is chocolate-box pretty on the outside, it oozes 21st-century style within. Jim and Chloe’s labour of love has saved the place from a sad and shabby decline, transforming it into a fresh and contemporary family home. Doors that had been nailed shut were jemmied open; a back staircase that had been boarded up for years was revealed and revamped; mouldy carpets were replaced by Welsh slate, and the original shutters were restored and brought back to working order.

“We re-plastered, re-plumbed, put in underfloor heating, spent a fortune on electrics, then knocked down a couple of interior walls and painted the lot white,” says Chloe of her kitchen-diner. Now shining with stainless steel, it was once the parlour where the vicar gave counsel to his parishioners.

The banks of steel units and the chunky wooden dining table with matching benches evoke an industrial, restaurant-like mood that works well in this spacious, open-plan area. “We love to entertain, hence the optics,” grins Chloe, gesturing towards the bar area. “And when we have parties we put coloured gels over all the lights to make it feel clubby.”

Jim’s artistic endeavours are in evidence throughout the house. As well as numerous clocks, his own paintings and mirror designs adorn the walls, as do his murals. The flower frieze in the sitting room was painted in one night while the others were in bed, using the dregs of leftover sample pots. “I started it at 10pm and finished at 10 the next morning,” Jim recalls. “It’s a bit crude, but it works.”

A smattering of classic pieces, including a comfy, oversized sofa and worn leather armchairs, furnish one side of this living area, while on the other side of the central fireplace is what the family call the cinema room, where movies can be projected on to the wall.

Upstairs, five bedrooms and two bathrooms have been revamped to suit individual requirements. Jim and Chloe’s room is indulgent, with its red velvet drapes and vast leather bed surrounded by vintage posters and pictures of film icons. Ruby’s is girly, with a cream French-style armoire and dressing-table set, while Buster gets to play out his fantasies in an enchanting, comics-themed room designed by his dad. “I didn’t realise how long it was going to take me to design and build the bed, but it was worth it,” says Jim.

“I bought slatted bases and built the framework around them using MDF. Buster loves it.”

The back stairs, once used by servants, make a dramatic statement in this otherwise soothingly hued residence. Each step has been painted in a different vibrant, glossy shade. “My brother did it,” says Jim. “He slopped the paint on so thick that we couldn’t walk on it for a month, but now it’s as hard as nails.”

A huge metal clock is propped against a wall in Jim’s study. It’s a prototype from Newgate’s new Couture Collection, a range of oversized timepieces that are purely decorative.

“Big old vintage clocks, like those you might once have found in Parisian flea markets, are hard to come by now, but there’s a real demand for them.” says Jim. “We’re about to launch our own reproductions as well as a Newgate wristwatch range, watches that actually tell the correct time.” It seems that business is ticking over nicely for Chloe and Jim.

www.newgateclocks.com

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