Timothy Staines

Orrery maker

MKesseler ©MFO

A universe of knowledge and talent

Timothy is one of five orrery makers worldwide
The waiting list for an orrery is two years
The object owes its name to its first customer

Timothy Staines’ professional world revolves around his parents' garage. It is here that his father Derek built his workshop, and it is here that the two men make their orreries, old-fashioned contraptions that reconstruct the solar system and its functioning. Collectibles that owe their name to the first English customer who commissioned one in the 18th century, Mr. Orrery, who legend has it saw a similar one during a trip to France, where usually these solar systems were accompanied by a clock. “Dad, who was an engineer and is retired today, has always enjoyed building objects in his spare time. One day he was fascinated by an antique orrery for auction at Christie's. He decided he would try to make one. From there a great passion was born that he passed on to me and that today is my job”.

Interview

MKesseler ©MFO

MKesseler ©MFO

Were you fond of astronomy as a child?: Not particularly! For both my father and me, building an orrery is above all a complex engineering challenge. Our works are made on several axes, which allows the movement of the planets. I also studied engineering, seeing my father at work, it became normal to challenge myself.
Who are your customers?: Ours is a niche market, but there are collectors, especially in the United States. Then there are some museums, university professors, astronomy enthusiasts willing to wait two years to get an orrery. This is our waiting list… For a small orrery it takes three months, for a large one even more than six months.
What is the most exciting moment of your work?: When the customer calls us to inform us that his orrery has arrived safe and sound. This means that the time has come for us to dedicate ourselves to a new job. Studying the design of a new object is certainly the part I love most about my job.
How endangered is your craft?: There are only five of us in the world who build orreries. One day I would like to pass on this savoir-faire, who knows maybe to my grandchildren. With dad, we helped my son build a very simplified orrery for his school science class. He did very well.

Timothy Staines is an expert artisan: he began his career in 2012