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| Klockit's History of Grandfather Clocks |
A Brief History Of The Grandfather Clock
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Wooden clocks add elegance and character to any home, and a clock you make yourself
is certain to become a family heirloom that will last for generations. For over 30 years, Klockit
has been dedicated to providing clock kits, plans and components to talented and creative individuals
who handcraft these beautiful heirloom clocks to give as gifts, for resale and for their own use.
We would like to share with you a bit of the history of the "Tall Case" or "Grandfather" clock
so you also will appreciate why these beautiful clocks continue to be one of the most sought
after and cherished home furnishings.
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Throughout the ages humankind has always searched for ways to keep track of time and
has tried to improve on techniques for accurately marking its passing. Clock making has over
5000 years of history behind it and up until the advent of mechanical clocks in medieval Europe,
the noteworthy links in the chain of timepieces were the shadow clocks, also called sundials,
water powered devices named clepsydra, the hourglass and indexed candles. The very first
mechanical clocks were developed during the second half of the 13th century, probably by central European monks. These early medieval clocks had no dials or arms and were massive devices made of heavy iron frames and gears. They were usually placed in the church tower and only struck bells on the hour by making use of the existing church bell. Eventually, an hour hand was added to the mechanical clocks and further enhancements enabled them to strike even the quarter-hour. By the first half of the 15th century, small domestic clocks started to appear and after the 1630s, a weight-driven timepiece, called the lantern clock, became popular in the homes of the upper classes.
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The concept for the breakthrough in clock making is credited to Galileo Galilei (1564-1642),
who discovered in 1582 that a pendulum could be used to keep time. Capitalizing on this
discovery, in 1656 the Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens (1629-93) developed the first pendulum
clock, which became the prototype for the grandfather clock. The first pendulum clocks, referred
to as "wags-on-the-wall" at that time, had short pendulums and were hung on a wall with
dangling cast-iron components that were encased in wood before long. Huygens‚ invention
allowed clocks to run accurately to the point of three minutes loss or gain per day. Already
by 1660, English clockmakers took over Huygens‚ design and introduced the approximately 6
feet long case with a 10-inch pendulum. In 1670, with the use of a longer pendulum of 39.1
inches, also called the Royal Pendulum and credited to Robert Hook, and the introduction of the
anchor escapement by William Clement, the grandfather clock was born and mounted up to a
height of just over 7 feet from the floor. As these improvements had increased precision up
to only a few seconds per week variance, a minute handle was also added to the clocks for
the first time. These clocks were later also encased with glass to display the pendulum and
weights. However, the grandfather clocks as these pendulum clocks are known today, would be
referred to as long case clocks or floor clocks until the 1880s.
In a manner of speaking, the period between 1630 and 1730 was the golden age of
long case clocks. They were first made for royal families and nobles, but in time their production
costs were cut down and the ownership of a long case clock became possible for some well-to-do
households. Around 1685, long case clocks were imported into American colonies for the first time
and roughly 10 years later their construction in the New World began. New York, New England,
Pennsylvania and Virginia became long case clock making centers, however, until the 19th century American introduction of inexpensive brass movements, English clockmakers reigned supreme. Due to costs of craftsmanship and parts, in America too, they were only affordable for the well off families and became a symbol of socio-economic status and wealth.
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The term grandfather clock for long case or floor clocks became widespread in England and
America by the 1880s thanks to a song composed by the American songwriter Henry Work in
1875, namely "the Grandfather's Clock". He was inspired by the story of an old floor clock
that stood in the lobby of a country lodge named George Hotel in Piercebridge, North Yorkshire,
England. While staying there, Henry Work was told that the clock had started losing time after the
death of one of the two brothers Jenkins, who managed The George Hotel. No clocksmith had been
able to fix the old timepiece and it had completely stopped when the surviving brother passed
away at the age of ninety. The new hotel manager had never attempted to have it repaired
and had left it standing in the lobby with the clock's arms in the position they had stopped.
The song "Grandfather's Clock" shared this story and became very popular. Shortly after that,
the long case or floor clocks, which were referred to by a variety of other names as well,
came to be known as the grandfather clocks.
Since then, there have been innumerable improvements on time keeping devices. In the present
day, pendulums have left their place to atomic vibrations for the purpose of accuracy. But, as an
object of beauty and as an impressive symbol of the passage of time, nothing seems likely to
replace the stately appearance of a grandfather‚s clock that stands about 6½ to 8 feet tall
today. Smaller versions of the grandfather clock have assumed the name of grandmother clock
(6 feet) and granddaughter clock (5 feet). Each of them is one of the best choices for starting a
family heirloom, which will witness and share the good and bad times of many generations to come.
Just listen to the lyrics of the "Grandfather Clock". |
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"In watching its pendulum swing to and fro
Many hours he spent when a boy
And through childhood and manhood, the clock seemed to know
And to share both his grief and his joy." |
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