Left : Two train John Whitehurst III hook and spike 8-day clock dial signed Holme & Smithard / Derby , but with signed Whitehurst movement , exactly similar to the Whitehurst version to be sold in March Derby Museums Trust .
Below : Two train John Whitehurst III hook and spike 8-day clock with octagonal dial Private collection .
Right : Three train 8-day Whitehurst III hook & spike wall clock with pull repeat Private collection .
son John III signing as Whitehurst & Son / Derby and numbering their wall clocks on the movement or backplate starting ( unusually for a clockmaker ) at 1 .
These clocks typically had compact but robust movements with anchor escapement , count-wheel strike , half-second pendulums with black-painted cast iron bobs and neat cylindrical weights , the latter often cast with ‘ WSD ’ ( Whitehurst and Son / Derby ) or ‘ IWD ’ ( John Whitehurst / Derby – after John II ’ s death in 1834 ) and other variants . One upper-crust lady I knew who had one , called it her ‘ wag on the wall ’ clock !
They were really intended for staff quarters in domestic contexts , for mills , factories and institutions . Thirty hour versions , often with brass dials ( and very occasionally single handed ), were usually supplied with an alarum , set via a brass pointer mounted with the hands . Most common are the 8-day ones , mostly without alarum work , but striking . The dials are invariably painted , but can be hexagonal , octagonal or diamond-shaped as well as round . Most sought after of all are three train examples which , as with 30 hour and 8-day versions , are wound by pulling the weight chains . The latter provide a ting tang chime at the quarters as well .
It has already been established that the earliest examples were made by John Whitehurst I , in the 1770s ; they continued to be made right through until at least 1855 , and indeed beyond , for examples ( indistinguishable from Whitehurst ones ) from after this date have been noted signed by both Frank and Thomas Woodward ( the latter the Whitehursts ’ s last manager ), Holme and Smithard , W . J . Booth ( all Derby ) and G . Etches ( Ashbourne ) among others and usually bearing a Whitehurst production number . The majority have eight day movements , but there are plenty of variations in general format to be found .
As an aside , it is worth noting that these movements were frequently supplied in narrow , plain deal cases with architectural pediments for use in less utilitarian settings ( or merely for protection in dusty industrial environments ), and command higher prices . Some even come in mahogany cases , plainly made as substitutes for the traditional long case clocks . An example at Derby Museum has a case elaborately carved to resemble the West front of Derby ’ s All Saints ’ church ( now the Cathedral ) with cupboards in the side aisles – without doubt made for an inn . The last time a wall clock of this sophistication came up for sale it retailed at £ 6,500 , and over twenty years ago one set in a bow-fronted mahogany corner cabinet retailed at £ 10,250 !
Fusée wall clocks by the Whitehurst firm are , on the other hand , surprisingly scarce . I know of only two , both 19 th century , one in a bedroom corridor at Chatsworth and another in a country house much nearer Derby . Non- Whitehurst examples range from £ 350 to £ 750 depending on size and decorativeness , but I feel sure that an example bearing the magic name might double that .
The commoner hook-and-spike clocks though are surprisingly desirable , and even simple 30 hour alarums tend to fetch over £ 800 in good condition , whilst two train examples used to go for £ 1,400- £ 1,600 but now are on the increase . A nice , totally original , two train example with round 12 inch dial signed J . Whitehurst / Derby and numbered 6556 ( suggesting a date of manufacture of 1849 ) with original weights and pendulum is coming up at Bamford ’ s next Fine Art Sale on March 29 th -31 st . I imagine it will bear an estimate of £ 1,500 to £ 1,700 but it would not surprise me if it goes for £ 2,000 .
The ironic thing is that with the value of average long case clocks dragged down significantly over the past twenty years by the collapse in value of brown furniture ( of which they form a part , after all ), these high quality but simple and attractive wall clocks have continued to demonstrate that although relatively expensive , they are a good investment as well as a delightful feature of the home . Being devoid of a case , with all the stylistic imperatives that implies , a good hook-and-spike wall clock looks good in almost any domestic environment .
TRADITIONAL FURNITURE RESTORERS AND FRENCH POLISHERS
Tel : 01335 360 114 Mob : 07990 583 326 The Cedars , Main Street , Hollington , Ashbourne , Derbyshire DE6 3AG www . heldreich . com
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