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31480C.L
BENJAMIN LEWIS VULLIAMY. NO. 1836.A FASCINATING AND UNUSUAL LONG DURATION NIGHTWATCHMAN’S CLOCK. DATED 1848.

A fascinating longcase nightwatchman’s clock. The movement of fine quality with four knopped pillars and substantial plates has only three wheels in the train but because it is chain drive it effectively has a very thin barrel and therefore has a long duration of three to four weeks. Although chain drive, the winding which one would expect to be slightly coarse is incredibly smooth.

The dial, signed, numbered and dated for the maker also has engraved on it the instructions for adjusting the time. It has quarter hour pins round the circumference of the dial and the time is read from the thin brass pointer. The pins are depressed via a sprung arm fixed to a side mounted handle on the case.

The case is very severe and functional but is made of the finest quality quarter sawn oak which gives it pleasing figuring. It stands some six feet tall and has a panelled front door and plinth. The lock on the front door is of extremely high quality.

A number of clocks of identical form were made by Vulliamy for the Houses of Parliament. It is possible that this is one of them.

It is interesting that many nighwatchman clocks were made by the finest makers of their time. Various articles in Antiquarian Horology show nightwatchman clocks by Whitehurst of Derby, Parkinson & Frodsham, Dent, Barraud & Lund and Vulliamy. The Autumn 1979 copy shows a picture of Vulliamy No. 1 A nightwatchman’s clock with a case made of the same quarter cut oak.

All in all a fascinating clock.

Height: 6' 4.25" (194 cms.)

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Unlike his father's main output, which was of ornamental house clocks and furnishing items, Benjamin Lewis tended to concentrate on using the very best of materials and workmanship in order to give long and trouble free life to his clocks.

The workforce that Vulliamy used were in many instances specialist craftsman or out workers. There were however a number of staff permanently employed at 68 Pall Mall. In particular were members of the Jump family who after Vulliamy's death went on to found their own famous and very successful business.