Time travel

Since time immemorial, we have been obsessed with methods of measuring and displaying time. The variety of antique clocks is infinite, and using them to furnish interiors can be a rewarding and affordable pursuit. When you work in the trade, however, using the right definitions is important: a ‘timepiece’ doesn’t strike, but a ‘clock’ does. For ease of description, though, here I’m going to use the word clock, as we generally accept this covers most instruments used to indicate time.

The pendulum swing

As with any genre of antiques and collecting, there are always the superlative examples, such as slender walnut and oyster veneered longcase clocks made by the best makers, and these are generally collected by connoisseurs. Go to any local auction, however, and a standard, weight-driven 19thcentury provincial eight-day longcase, of large stature, can be purchased for just a few hundred pounds. They are remarkably common, and although the design and materials vary and the dials come in