A fine oak 11 inch dial Longcase clock C.1770. The dial showing matted centre with subsidiary calendar feature. Also with chapter ring and spandrels . The dial signed by Barnard. This is a numbered example. The movement strikes the bell on the hour.
A superb 10 inch brass dial 30HR oak Longcase clock. Featuring a clock by Joseph Cooper. The square brass dial with chapter ring and spandrels. Also with matted and engraved centre, subsidiary seconds and calendar features.
A good mahogany fusee wall clock by Brockbank & Atkins – London. Featuring a white circular 8 inch dial. Together with a drop dial case.
A good porcelain dial French red marble mantel clock. The movement striking the hours/half hours on a single bell.
Featuring a superb 12 inch drop dial mahogany wall clock. Together with fusee movement by Windle of Stockton. ‘8-day duration. C.1860
A good large fusee wall clock. Featuring an ‘8-day’ duration mechanism. Together with an 18 inch diameter dial. To sum up a good quality clock by Dwerryhouse of Liverpool.
Featured here a rare French Industrial Revolution semaphore clock. Showing interesting design and features. The clock in the form of a building housing a working semaphore to the top. Also with an automaton water wheel and flowing imitation water feature to the bottom. 8 day movement. To sum up a fine clock for any collection.
EQUATION OF TIME – JOHN TOPPING C.1720
The clock featured here by John Topping is an extremely rare example of the ‘Equation of Time’ calculation. Shown here on an early 18th century Longcase Clock. It is pictured here purely for research within Wikipedia. In addition it is not for sale or any other commercial purposes. People can ask me questions relating to the ‘Equation of Time’ but the clock is not for sale.
We are all aware of the passage of time. Yet we can not see it. Many inventors have tried to measure time. But it was not until the invention of the pendulum that considerable increased the accuracy of clocks. That the calculation of the ‘Equation of Time’ became very relevant to clocks. Before the advent of the long pendulum in the early days. The clocks were very inaccurate and so calculating the difference between ‘solar’ and ‘our time’ would have been of little consequence.The long pendulum was first invented by Christian Huygens. A Dutch scientists in 1656.The oscillations of the pendulum reduced error to less than 1 minute per day. This eventually came to less than 10 seconds per day.
Peter Clare, a clockmaker in the 18th century, who worked in Manchester insisted his clocks were right and the Sun was wrong. A memorial to him reads.
Here’s the cottage of Peter, that cunning old fox. Who kept the sun right by the time of his clocks.
Many people might think Mr Clare’s observations foolhardy, but it would be folly to dismiss them.
The clock pictured here by a maker called John Topping of London. It is a superb month duration. Wwalnut Longcase clock with a dial showing the Equation of Time.With these increasingly more accurate clocks. The difference called the ‘Equation of Time’ became more relevant, and Mr Clare was right to some degree his clocks were more accurate than the sun.
The Equation of Time refers to the difference between the suns time and that shown by the clock. This varies by up to 16 minutes per day during the year. Only on four days in the year is there no difference between the suns time and the time shown by clocks. The days on which the clock and the sun should usually agree are: the 15th of April, 15th of june, 31st of August, and the 24th of December.
Effectively Peters Clare’s clocks were more accurate than the sun. Clearly this is a result of the elliptical rotation of our planet.
The clock by Topping shown below is one of the few clocks ever made showing this calculation on a year calendar. It lets the operator know just how many minutes less or more the clocks time is from the suns time. Effectively making it easy to set your clock in the 18th century by means of a sun dial.
This clock also has the special feature of a spherical moon. Also showing the true shape of the moon. In addition this is accompanied with a tidal times indicator. Also rise and fall of the pendulum. Thus making for changes of seconds to the timekeeping. It is housed in a superb elegant burr walnut cabinet.
Very few clock makers ever had the talent to make such complex clocks. Only the finest clockmakers have examples to their work. These are very few and far between. Thomas Tompion I believe made 3 equation clocks. Topping as listed here made a few, Williamson, who made several equation clocks for Quarre and the maker Gregg.Clearly very few are still surviving today. The complexity of the movement is mind blowing. To sum up a very rare and interesting clock.
Featuring a one weight, 2 spring quarter striking Viennese wall clock. Shown here with one piece signed porcelain dial. ‘2-day’ duration. Rosewood and box strung cabinet.
A good mahogany fusee dial clock. Featuring ‘8-day’ duration movement by Moreland of Chester. Also the 8 inch convex dial with Roman numeral. Furthermore the cabinet with cast brass bezel. To sum up a lovely collectible timepiece clock.