A Short History of British Summer Time
British Summer Time is more than a century old. It began as a campaign by a builder and became law during the First World War.
Willett's idea
In 1907 the builder William Willett published a pamphlet proposing that clocks go forward in spring. He did not live to see it adopted, but his proposal inspired the idea.
1916 and the wars
Summer time was first introduced in the UK in 1916, during the First World War, to save fuel. During the Second World War the UK went further, using British Double Summer Time, UTC+2, in summer.
Today's rules
Since 1996 the UK has changed its clocks on the same dates as the European Union: the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October.
Frequently asked questions
Who invented British Summer Time?
The idea is credited to William Willett, whose 1907 pamphlet argued for moving clocks forward in summer. The first UK law came in 1916.