Clockmakers Move to Newcastle

The mystery and secrecy surrounding the 'leaving of Wooler' had always intrigued me.  Could this have been the reason behind my (strong) desire to own an Andrew Maule longcase clock?  Several years ago I decided to continue my search in earnest, for I'd been assured that many were still around but sadly rarely, if indeed ever, came up for sale.

Having heard those familiar words "If I hear of one I'll let you know" once too often, I planned to travel to Wooler to see what I could find for myself.  I vowed this would be my final attempt to track one down and should the plan prove unsuccessful, I'd abandon the search completely and give up all hope of ever owning one (or at least try to!)

When I reached Wooler, I began to enquire 'around the antique shops'.  I could see I was out of luck with the first one (Hamish Dunn, Antiques & Curios) as there wasn't a single longcase clock in sight.  Nevertheless, I decided to ask anyway and started to spell out the name - much to the astonishment of another customer.  The customer was Nancie Foster, who owned 'The Paint Box' on the High Street in Wooler, just a few yards away from where Maule's had their shop.  Nancie 'casually' stated that she owned a Maule clock.  She explained that "actually it was an Andrew Maule longcase clock".  I was spellbound and immediately produced a copy of my Family Tree which, fortunately, I'd remembered to take along!