Mahogany longcase regulator with 24 hour dial (c. 1825 England)

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Roberts D.English Precision pendulum clocks

D154. Parkinson and Frodsham, Change Alley, London. A longcase regulator made to the best observatory standards with a 24 hour dial and five seconds bars, oval mercury bar and wheels with six crossings. Circa 1825.

The 12" diameter engraved and silvered brass dial of this regulator, which is signed across the centre Parkinson & Frodsham, Change Alley, London, is very well laid out with matching seconds and hour rings occupying all the available space. Arabic numerals are used for the outer minute ring and also the seconds and hours. The very delicate seconds hand is counter-balanced and those for the minutes and hours are also very well executed.

The movement has very heavy plates some 9.2" x 6.3" (23.2 x 16cms.) held down to the seat-board by three heavy brass angle brackets. Six substantial plate pillars are employed, rivetted to the back-plate and screwed to the front. All the wheel-work has six crossings and is beautifully executed. Adjustable end-stops, carried on individual plates, are employed throughout the train. Jewelled pallets are provided and beat regulation is incorporated at the top of the crutch. A high count train is employed with a 14 leaf pinion to the escape wheel arbor. A very high count is used on the maintaining power wheel to give the maximum duration. A rare survival is the lovely little winding key with ivory handle.

The mercury compensated pendulum is a fine feature with its large oval facetted jar with the rod passing down through the centre. An interesting feature is the brass tube, split at either end to provide friction, which may be slid up and down the rod and has a small cross-bar fixed to the top which may used to fix it in position.

The quality of the case virtually matches that of the movement. There is a shallow arched top with a band of gadrooning immediately below this. The sides of the hood are panelled, the front corners canted and there are four curved triangular panels to the corners of the full opening front door. There is a narrow brass ring around the edge of the dial and a brass bezel applied to the inner aspect of the hood door. The sides of the trunk are canted and the glazed front door has an inner brass mould. The base of the case is panelled and rests on a single plinth. The solid mahogany back-board is no less than one and a half inches thick.

Height:- 6' 6" (198 cms.)

The partnership of Parkinson & Frodsham was one of the most eminent in the field of horology in the 19th century, being particularly famed for their ships chronometers and regulators. It was formed in 1801 by William James Frodsham and William Parkinson in 1801, when they started working at 4 Change Alley, Cornhill, where they were to remain until 1890. William James Frodsham had a particularly illustrious career, being Master of the clockmakers Company in 1836 & 37 and became a member of the Royal Society. He wrote several articles on chronometers and also did interesting work on suspension springs and the effects of gravity on clocks with iron or steel pendulum rods.

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