Seafaring Plumbers have their eye on the ball!

A good crowd of 32 booked for the event.

At the Royal Observatory, we had a fascinating tour and watched the time ball fall at 1pm. The time ball is a device used in former days for navigators on ships in the Thames to check their chronometers before heading out to sea, and the origin of the phrase “have your eye on the ball”!

Plumbers and heating engineers also had a particular contribution to make in later centuries with heating systems to help the regulate sensitive scientific instruments.

There was much fun had in the courtyard of the Royal Observatory, standing on the Meridian Line representing the Prime Meridian of the world, Longitude Zero (0° 0′ 0″).

From pole to pole, the Prime Meridian covers a distance of 20,000 km. Every place on Earth is measured in terms of its angle east or west from this line, and since 1884, the Prime Meridian has served as the reference point for Greenwich Mean Time.

Afterwards, we made our way downhill to the Cutty Sark for a splendid afternoon tea, and free time to explore this most celebrated of sailing ships.

The Master gave a small speech and reminded us that plumbers, historically, have played a key role in shipbuilding: they were responsible for fitting pipes that carried domestic water from fresh tanks and other essential plumbing systems on ships, and they worked alongside coppersmiths, who made the copper pipes, and ship fitters, who installed the waste pipes. Plumbers’ expertise in handling complex piping systems was essential for the operational efficiency and safety of ships, making their role indispensable in maritime history.

Plumbers also worked with lead on roofing and in other aspects of building, even up to the 19th and 20th centuries, so they would have played a role in the leadwork associated with both the Royal Observatory and the Cutty Sark.

It was a brilliant day and much enjoyed by all who came. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the day a success.

Steward David Pearson