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The Encyclopedia of Horology

Turret clock (verge and foliot, striking train, no dial originally) · England

Salisbury Cathedral Clock

Partially verified

Frequently cited as one of the oldest working clock mechanisms in the world still substantially in its original form, though 'oldest' claims of this kind are always comparative and depend on how much of the mechanism is original fabric versus later restoration.

Technical facts

Escapement
Verge and foliot
Function
Striking the hour on the cathedral bell; no dial in its original arrangement
Drive
Weight-driven

Historical significance

  • Frequently cited as one of the oldest working clock mechanisms in the world still substantially in its original form, though 'oldest' claims of this kind are always comparative and depend on how much of the mechanism is original fabric versus later restoration.
  • Represents the earliest surviving type of mechanical clock escapement, the verge and foliot, before the pendulum.
  • Was restored in the twentieth century after a period of disuse; researchers should treat the proportion of original medieval material versus restored/replacement parts as a distinct research question from the clock's overall date.

Photographs

Clock Salisbury Cathedral 01
Clock Salisbury Cathedral 01 — --Immanuel Giel 09:28, 21 August 2007 (UTC), Public domain. Wikimedia Commons file page
Salisbury Cathedral clock - geograph.org.uk - 772882
Salisbury Cathedral clock - geograph.org.uk - 772882 — Hywel Williams, CC BY-SA 2.0. Wikimedia Commons file page
Salisbury Cathedral, medieval clock
Salisbury Cathedral, medieval clock — Rwendland, CC BY-SA 3.0. Wikimedia Commons file page

Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.

Sources & references

  1. Salisbury Cathedral, published visitor and conservation information
  2. Antiquarian Horological Society, discussion of dating claims for early English turret clocks

Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.