The trunk of a longcase clock is perfect for showing off cabinet-making skills, giving the owner not only a timepiece but an attractive piece of furniture.

Too many people, a longcase or ‘brand- father’ clock immediately conjures up nostalgic images of the past. But it is also an ideal combination of mechanics and furniture. A William and Mary marquetry longcase clock can be just as good an example of cabinet-making as, say, a chest of drawers of the same period, and its value will depend on the quality of both case and movement. (more…)

The lure of antique timepieces lies in their combination of art and technology. Visual clues can help you to date a clock and identify its mechanics.

Mechanical timepieces were first made in Europe in 13th-century monasteries to call the monks to prayer. By 1380 many cities had public clocks, although domestic clocks did not appear until the late 15th century. Portable clocks became feasible when the coiled spring was devised as a source of power in the early 16th century. The first true watches date from about 1580 but were rather inaccurate before the invention of the balance wheel around 1675. Clocks are judged on the quality of both movement and case. Rarity alone does not necessarily mean high value, but a pioneering design is desirable. Points to consider include the type of movement and its complexity (for example, if it has a striking system), style of dial and case, the maker and condition. (more…)

While their homeland was Oliver Crom well’s Commonwealth, Royalists who had taken refuge in France experienced the French style of life. One of its features, which they copied on returning home after 166o, was the arrangement of rooms. The public, formal core of a house was the hall or vestibule and the main reception room, often called the salon (saloon) or great parlour. The private suite of rooms had its own slightly less formal reception room — the withdrawing room — which was an antechamber to the bedrooms. (more…)