Clock type · Domestic
Act of Parliament (Tavern) Clocks
Partially verifiedLarge wall clocks with a broad unglazed dial and a short trunk, hung in inns and public rooms where the time had to be read across a room.
Movement & mechanism
- Weight-driven eight-day timepiece trains, frequently without striking
- Anchor escapement with a seconds or slightly shorter pendulum
- Very large painted or black-lacquered dials reading clearly at a distance
Identification
- Dial diameter far larger than a domestic wall clock, often without glass
- Trunk short relative to a longcase, sized for wall hanging
- Frequently timepiece only, with no striking train
Terminology
- Tavern clock
- Coaching-inn clock
- Timepiece (a clock without striking)
Known variations
- Japanned and painted trunk decoration
- Shield and round dial forms
Collecting notes
Originality decides value and interest: check that movement, dial and case belong together, and prefer honest wear over refinishing. Movement work belongs with a clockmaker; cleaning a dial or case yourself commonly destroys the evidence that dates the clock.
Related photographs
No confidently matched photograph of this subject has been found yet. These photographs show a closely related record, and are not examples of the type described on this page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
- Loomes, B., reference works on British clockmakers (edition-dependent)
- Museum catalogue descriptions of comparable examples
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.