A near 200-year-old Elgin-made grandfather clock has finally returned home after an incredible transatlantic adventure.
The tall case clock, which was constructed in the 1830s, was made by local clockmaker and silversmith William Stephen Ferguson.
Since its creation, the Moray clock has travelled far, including surviving a major 6.7 magnitude earthquake in 1994 in Northridge, California.
Now, thanks to the generosity of Hollywood film producer Rick Clemente, the clock is sitting proudly in Elgin Museum.
Transatlantic adventure
Mr Clemente decided to donate the item to the collection after it was passed through generations of his family.
In 1904, his grandfather George Taylor decided to purchase the clock, after making a fortune from bakeries in Chicago.
This was the first step on its incredible journey.
In 1952, the clock was shipped from Moray to San Francisco.
Soon after, his father John Clemente retrieved it from customs and brought it to China Lake, California where he worked as a navy scientist.
California to Massachusetts to New Mexico
Mr Clemente said: “I remember it arriving in America and it was not well packaged.
“It was beaten up when it arrived and my dad had to fight with customs to avoid duty fee.
“Him and a neighbour sorted it up.”
The clock then departed to Los Angeles where it stayed until his grandmother’s death in 1962.
His mother then took ownership of the timepiece.
Mr Clemente recalls the grand clock sitting in a narrow hallway in Camarillo, California.
Then in 1994, it survived the Northridge earthquake despite being toppled and its main back sustaining damage.
Mr Clemente inherited the clock in 2009 from his late brother who was due to repair it before his death in Boston and moved it to Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He said: “It is a better place to have to closer to where it was built.
“It has been on a remarkable journey.”
Hollywood veteran
Mr Clemente, who has more than 30 years of experience in the film industry, has worked on some major productions.
He worked in the camera and electrical department on Star Wars – A New Hope, and is now the chief executive of I-25 Studios in New Mexico.
It is great to have it back home.”
Moray Society vice-president Claire Herbert
Moray Society vice-president Claire Herbert said the museum is delighted to put the clock on display.
Miss Herbert told the P&J: “We are delighted with this new addition to the museum.
“This clock has certainly been on an adventure.
“It is great to have it back home.”
Business Laich of Moray Clocks helped with the clock’s restoration.
Elgin Museum
Museum entrance is free and visitors should pre-book slots via its new online booking system.
Opening times are 11am-3pm on Saturdays and Sundays.