British Horological Institute
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The British Horological Institute (also known as the BHI) is the representative body of the horological industry in the United Kingdom.
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[edit] History
The BHI was founded in 1858 by a small group of clockmakers.[1] Their aim was to unify the British industry in the face of large numbers of imports of clocks and watches from abroad. The Institute was an immediate success and within a year it had founded its own museum and library; it also began to offer evening classes in clock- and watch-making.[1]
[edit] The BHI today
The current premises of the BHI are at Upton Hall in Nottinghamshire, UK. Its primary role is that of education, providing a standardised set of examinations for training horologists.[1] It also maintains a list of members whom it considers sufficiently qualified to repair clocks and watches, and who adhere to a strict code of practice.
[edit] Membership
The Institution offers a number of different kinds of membership. These include:
- Ordinary Membership
- Any individual with an interest in horology may subscribe as a member
- Graduate Membership
- Graduate membership is limited to those who have taken the BHI horology course and passed the appropriate examinations. Such persons may append the letters "Grad BHI" to their name.
- Full Membership
- Full membership is open to graduate members with a sufficient degree of professional experience as a clockmaker. Full members may append the letters "MBHI" to their name.
- Fellowship
- In order to become a fellow of the BHI, one must make a contribution to the field of horology deemed to be of exceptional value. (Note this has not always been the case; it was significantly easier to gain fellowship in later half of the twentieth century). Fellows of the BHI may append the letters "FBHI" to their name.
A full explanation of the different grades of membership is available on the BHI's own website.
[edit] External links
- Home page of the BHI
- Virtual tour of Upton Hall, the current headquarters of the BHI
- The BHI's list of recommended repairers
[edit] See also
- Upton Hall - the headquarters of the BHI.
- BHI horology course
