Clock History Part 1
History Of The Grandfather Clock

In 1656 a Dutchman named Christian Huygens was the first person to use a pendulum as a driving device in clocks. This was the birth of the grandfather clock, or to use the correct terminology, Long Case Clock.

The first Long Case Clocks were produced in Britain after the London clock maker Ahasuerus Fromenteel sent his son to Holland to learn about the use of a pendulum.

For the first 15 years clock makers struggled to develop a pendulum device that would keep accurate time. By 1670 an anchor escapement had been developed, that when used in conjunction with a pendulum, great accuracy could be achieved. This development marked the chapter in history where Britain dominated the world of clock making. Names such as Joseph Knibb, Thomas Tompian, George Graham, and Daniel Quare all come to mind when discussing the history of the Long Case Clocks.

The earliest cases were made from oak and were architectural in appearance. High-quality examples would be finished with ebony or ebonised pearwood.

Later cases were made from the highest quality African mahogany. Today beautiful examples of what is called "flame mahogany" can also be seen.

Early dials were square and made of brass. In 1772 Osborn & Wilson of Birmingham introduced the white dial. These early dials had simple decorations such as birds or strawberries. By 1830 small painted scenes, in the corners and arch were depicted on the dials.

When talking about clock history one can never forget the contribution made to British seafaring by John Harrison. Against all odds Harrison produced the first sea clock. This enabled accurate calculation of Longitude and paved the way for Britain to become the grate-trading nation she was in the 19th century.

British Long Case Clock were popular until the end of the 1870s at which time cheap movements from American flooded the market and production of the British Long case clock virtually ceased.