Mantel Clocks - A Brief History
Domestic clocks began to appear in British houses in about 1600. These early clocks, called 'chamber clocks', were of the 'lantern' type. The name 'lantern' may come from their appearance, or else is a corruption of the word 'latten', meaning brass. They were hung from a hook on the wall and weights hung down below them on ropes, later chains. There were up to three weights - for the time, the striking and sometimes also an alarm. They had no pendulum, which was not invented until 1658.
Wooden cases were introduced in the 17th century. Many cases are covered with thin veneers of wood. The most common woods are oak, walnut, mahogany, ebony and rosewood. Wooden cases may be decorated with marquetry (patterns made from different woods), lacquer, applied metal mounts, brass inlay (on rosewood cases), or a combination of tortoiseshell and brass (boulle work).
The most popular chime, now known as the 'Westminster chime', is evolved from a phrase from the fifth bar of Handel's Messiah, 'I know that my redeemer liveth'. In about 1793, Revd Dr Joseph Jowett, Regius Professor of Civil Law at Cambridge University, is said to have consulted with Dr Randall, the Professor of Music, and with an undergraduate pupil, William Crotch, and between them they selected and evolved the chime used at Great St Mary's Church, Cambridge. The tune was then adopted by Lord Grimthorpe, the designer of Big Ben.
Mantel Clocks from Distinctly British
Distinctly British feature several ranges of mantel clocks:-
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