Joseph Windmills, London c1685

A brass lantern clock, by a well respected late 17th century London maker, signed on the engraved dial centre J Windmills London.

Joseph Windmills was free of the Clockmakers Company in 1671 and its master in 1702. He took his son Thomas into partnership about 1700, and died in 1724.

The clock has a 6½-inch diameter chapter ring with tulip engraving to the centre and a single hand. The clock strikes the hours on a bell.

The brass case has three foliate frets surmounted by a bell and brass side doors. The frets are original as are the doors. One fret has been carefully restored at bottom left, the doors originally had cut outs (for the centre pendulum to swing through) which are now filled.

The bell finial is a recent replacement, the weight is not original.

Clock height 16 inches including finial.

The 30-hour, rope driven movement originally had a verge escapement with the pendulum swinging between the trains; it now has an anchor escapement and long pendulum.

The early conversion to anchor escapement was to improve the clocks timekeeping. The escapewheel is set off-centre to avoid the front movement bar retaining peg.

The clock originally had an alarm; only the setting disc to the dial centre now remains as the rest of the alarm train was removed when the anchor escapement was fitted.

The clock still has its original backplate, the holes show where the alarm work was originally fitted, the spikes are replacements.

THIS ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD

Stock No. C1120