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Episode details

Radio Lincolnshire,26 Mar 2026,4 mins

The clockmaker who changed the seas

Secret Lincolnshire

Available for over a year

John Harrison was a self-taught clockmaker who rose from humble beginnings in the village of Barrow-upon-Humber. Fascinated by mechanics from an early age, he built his first wooden longcase clock at just 20-years-old. His lifelong pursuit of precision timekeeping eventually led to the marine chronometer, transforming navigation at sea. Sally Fairfax has been to Barrow to find out more about the North Lincolnshire inventor. Picture credit: Science Photo Library.

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