AHS London Lecture Series 2026: Mark Crangle - What has 25,000 plants and cuckoos?

Mark Crangle is back at St Mary-at-Hill Church on Thursday 19 November, as part of the AHS London Lecture Series. His talk is titled 'What has 25,000 plants and cuckoos? When horticulture meets horology – the growth of the floral clock', and it's exactly what it sounds like: a look at the strange, living intersection of gardening and clockmaking.

Floral clocks started as a bit of a curiosity, a garden folly that combined the precision of a timepiece with the patience of a flowerbed. From there they grew into a British institution and a holiday icon, and there are still examples in use around the world today. Crangle's talk follows that story, tracing how a whimsical garden feature became a recognisable landmark. It's a niche subject, but one that sits right at the crossing of two very different worlds.

Crangle knows his way around a clock. He's worked at the Cumbria Clock Company since 2004, and this isn't his first time speaking for the AHS London series – back in November 2024 he gave a talk called 'Scottish Knocks: The Story of Scottish Turret Clock Manufacture'. If that one was about the heavy lifting of turret clocks, this is the more decorative, living side of the craft.

The evening runs from 6:15pm to 7:30pm, with doors opening at 5:45pm and tea and coffee available on arrival. The lecture itself is followed by a Q&A from 7:15pm to 7:30pm, and then a drinks reception from 7:30pm to 8:15pm, so there's plenty of time to stick around and chat after the talk. Entry is free, but booking is required, and the venue is St Mary-at-Hill Church, St Mary-at-Hill, London EC3R 8EE.