Clock type · Public & tower
Turret Clocks
Partially verifiedA more specific, largely British nineteenth-century usage of 'tower clock', denoting purpose-engineered public clock movements — most famously those using the double three-legged gravity escapement.
Movement & mechanism
- Double three-legged gravity escapement (associated with Edmund Beckett Denison / Lord Grimthorpe) isolating the pendulum from wind and dial-hand loading
- Cast-iron frame with separate going, striking and chiming trains
- Large-diameter external dials driven by shafting from the central movement
Identification
- Gravity escapement mechanism, if fitted, is a strong marker of a higher-grade nineteenth-century turret installation
- Maker's plate on the frame, often naming a named turret-clock firm
Terminology
- Gravity escapement — an escapement in which a small arm is lifted by the going train and then falls under gravity to impulse the pendulum, insulating it from external torque variation
- Chiming train — a separate train playing a tune (e.g. Westminster Quarters) before the hour strike
Known variations
- Gravity-escapement turret clocks
- Pin-wheel escapement turret clocks
- Electrically synchronised or wound turret clocks
Collecting notes
Notable named turret clocks (such as the Great Clock at the Elizabeth Tower, Westminster) are extensively documented individually; generic turret movements are collected mainly by industrial heritage and clock preservation groups.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Britten, F. J., Old Clocks and Watches and Their Makers
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.