Thomas Cole, London c1853

 A small 30-hour oval strut timepiece, complete with its original travelling case, made by Thomas Cole, London and retailed by C F. Hancock, Bruton Street, London.   

Thomas Cole was born in Somerset in 1800, the son of a clockmaker. Cole moved to London in the early 1820’s but was not working independently until about 1838. By 1845 Cole was calling himself a ‘designer and maker of ornamental clocks’ and exhibited as such at the Great Exhibition of 1851. He is justly famous for high quality clocks of individual design always with fine engraving. Thomas Cole died of typhoid fever on 3rd January 1864.

The clock has an engraved and silvered dial measuring 3¼ x 2½ inches and blued steel hands, the hour hand of fleur de lys pattern. The dial centre is engraved with a monogram.

As usual with Cole’s 30-hour timepieces the movement is a Swiss watch movement (stamped 1147) with going barrel. The clock has an engraved and gilt brass case with a fold out strut.  The case gilding is now a little worn particularly to the rear cover and dial surround.

Case height 4¾ inches.

The rear of the case is engraved C. F. Hancock, 39 Bruton St. London. Access to the regulation lever is via a shuttered aperture on the rear of the case.

The timepiece has the serial number 1128 146 stamped on the rear of the case, and the abbreviated serial number 1128 stamped inside the rear cover and inside the bezel holding the glass in place. The dial plate is stamped 1129 presumably an error for 1128.

Neither the movement nor the case is stamped ‘Thomas Cole’ but the design, the engraving and the serial number all indicate that this timepiece can be attributed to him with confidence.

The original travelling case is covered in very dark green (virtually black) leather with gold tooled line and lined internally, the bottom with green velvet and the lid with white silk.

THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD

Stock No. C1114