31575C.W
BENJAMIN LEWIS VULLIAMY NO. 954. A BEAUTIFULLY PROPORTIONED STRIKING DROP DIAL WALL CLOCK IN FLAME MAHOGANY. SOLD IN 1827

A particularly fine and attractive drop dial striking wall clock by Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy.

The mahogany case has a well shaped cast brass bezel and nicely shaped wooden surround to the 12" dial. The side doors of the clock have beautifully fretted original sound frets backed with silk. The quality of the fretwork and the design is quite special.

The front of the clock unusually does not have the chisel bottom so much favoured by Vulliamy, but has a rounded bottom with the access door within it. The quality of veneers is superb and follows right through the drop and through the rounded bottom and door. As is usual with Vulliamy dial clocks the movement is seatboard mounted within the case.

The very substantial eight day twin fusee movement has chain fusees and very thick plates. It has five substantial pillars and is of fine quality throughout. The backplate is signed for the maker ‘Vulliamy, London 954.’ It has typical Vulliamy regulator or roller style suspension for the pendulum from which hangs the very nicely shaped pendulum.

The silvered brass dial is again signed for the maker ‘Vulliamy, London.’ It has Roman numerals and a strike/silent lever at 3 o’clock. It has blued steel heart shaped and pointer hands.

This clock is recorded in the Vulliamy records as being assembled and finished on the 10^th March 1827. There are no details as to whom it was sold.

Length: 24" (61 cms.)

Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was the last of a line of exceptional clockmakers in the Vulliamy family, the first of which was François Justin (always known as Justin Vulliamy), followed by his son Benjamin, followed by his son Benjamin Lewis and Justin Theodore.

Benjamin Lewis Vulliamy was born on the 25^th January 1780, not a lot is known about his childhood except that he spent most of it at 68 Pall Mall. He joined his father in Pall Mall very early in life, certainly when less than 20 years of age. He received the Freedom of the Clockmakers’ Company in December 1809 and became a liveryman in January 1810 at the age of 30 and was admitted to the Court of Guild in the same year. There he served every office in the Court and was five times elected Master. In his years of service he did much to further the good reputation of the clockmakers' trade and against increasing odds he succeeded in preserving high standards of craftsmanship which can be seen in almost all of the clocks that he produced.