Unmarried brothers seek heir to take on world's largest collection of cuckoo clocks
- 4 months ago
Two unmarried brothers are seeking an heir to take on the world's largest cuckoo clock collection.
Roman and Maz Piekarski have spent five decades sourcing 750 pendulum-driven devices, which they display at their 'Cuckooland' museum.
But as time ticks down on their careers, the eccentric siblings - who have no kids - are now desperate to find someone to take on their metronomic hoard before it’s too late.
Roman said: “I’m 71 and Maz is 69, and we have not got anybody to leave it to.
"It’s the world’ s largest collection – and we have 750 of them.
“It would be wonderful if we could get someone to take it on, it really would be.”
Roman and Maz said they’d become fascinated with clocks as teens and went into the trade as apprentices after leaving school at 15.
But at just 28, Roman got the devastating news he had the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) - and was given just three years to live.
Not wanting to saddle a family with his sickness, he didn't get married and instead pursued his passion for collecting cuckoo clocks with Maz.
And the brothers then went all around the world hunting down unique timepieces while trying to beat rival collectors from the US and Germany.
But after amassing the world’s largest collection at their museum, in Tabley, Cheshire, they now have no sons or daughters to leave it to.
Roman said: “When I copped MS I said to my brother, I’m going to stick with what I’m doing.
"I wasn’t going to get married because I didn’t want to burden anybody.
“I was given three years to live, but I’m still here today - 43 years on.
“For the last four years, I have been making small inquiries as to finding a body who could take it over. But I’ve not found a single person who could come in and run it.
“I’ve just about got it in me to teach someone how to do the guided tours and about the clocks and the different stories.
“And my brother’s got time to teach someone about doing the movements.
“But unfortunately, the youngsters of today tend to press buttons on a computer. And there are no apprenticeships anymore anyway.”
Roman and Maz Piekarski have spent five decades sourcing 750 pendulum-driven devices, which they display at their 'Cuckooland' museum.
But as time ticks down on their careers, the eccentric siblings - who have no kids - are now desperate to find someone to take on their metronomic hoard before it’s too late.
Roman said: “I’m 71 and Maz is 69, and we have not got anybody to leave it to.
"It’s the world’ s largest collection – and we have 750 of them.
“It would be wonderful if we could get someone to take it on, it really would be.”
Roman and Maz said they’d become fascinated with clocks as teens and went into the trade as apprentices after leaving school at 15.
But at just 28, Roman got the devastating news he had the neurological disease multiple sclerosis (MS) - and was given just three years to live.
Not wanting to saddle a family with his sickness, he didn't get married and instead pursued his passion for collecting cuckoo clocks with Maz.
And the brothers then went all around the world hunting down unique timepieces while trying to beat rival collectors from the US and Germany.
But after amassing the world’s largest collection at their museum, in Tabley, Cheshire, they now have no sons or daughters to leave it to.
Roman said: “When I copped MS I said to my brother, I’m going to stick with what I’m doing.
"I wasn’t going to get married because I didn’t want to burden anybody.
“I was given three years to live, but I’m still here today - 43 years on.
“For the last four years, I have been making small inquiries as to finding a body who could take it over. But I’ve not found a single person who could come in and run it.
“I’ve just about got it in me to teach someone how to do the guided tours and about the clocks and the different stories.
“And my brother’s got time to teach someone about doing the movements.
“But unfortunately, the youngsters of today tend to press buttons on a computer. And there are no apprenticeships anymore anyway.”