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Superb English Antique Grandfather Clock

Early English Railroad

~ Circa 1835 ~

~~ Hudson & Sons Otley ~~

Stunning oak and mahogany veneered early Victorian 8-Day Tallcase in excellent condition. This is a large and impressive clock as you can see in the pictures below.

The dial features an early railroad scene - almost certainly the artist has used engravings of the time, probably from "Coloured views on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway" by T T Bury which was published in 1831 shortly after the opening of the railway. A certain amount of artistic license has been used - the bridge shown is possibly the bridge before the famous skew bridge which still stands today and the locomotive is based on the 'Novelty' which impressed the crowds with its speed and grace at the Rainhill Trials - where the 'Rocket' famously won the day. It is impossible to know for sure but the artist could have intended this to be a depiction of the Rainhill Trial - people on the bridge waving and the hot air balloon flying high giving lucky occupants a birds eye view of the great events. As is well known the 'Novelty' delighted the crowds but ultimately the reliability of the 'Rocket' ensured victory for Robert Stephenson. We have a Victorian Staffordshire Figure with a strikingly similar subject, please see our other auctions for details.

Click here to read about Novelty. Click here to see the T.T. Bury engravings

The case is very elegant with bobbin turned pillars to the hood. A rich figured mahogany is used for the case which is elegantly proportioned and looks great!

David Hudson and Sons are listed as known to be working between 1834 and 1837. Ref: Watchmakers and Clockmakers of the World Volume 2 by Brian Loomes. Otley is a small town near the city of Leeds - about 50 miles from Manchester

The movement is in very good condition - it has been completely overhauled in our workshop. It is clean, running, and keeping good time. It is of 8-Day duration and strikes hourly on a bell. Subsidiary seconds dial and date dial are in full working order - the date wheel has been replaced at some time but works adequately. The gut line has been replaced by us with real gut. The dial is in lovely condition, our very experienced and professional dial restorer has cleaned and re-lettered the worn numerals and touched in the painting where necessary - most of the painting is original. The minute and hour hands are original and look super - we have made new second and date hands as closely as possible to the damaged originals. The pendulum and weights are original.

Click to hear the clock strike!, Click here to watch the clock run

The case is beautiful and very original - rich red figured mahogany has been used to create a striking effect - this has faded to deep orange in places. Chequer stringing, shell and star inlay sets of the mahogany to great effect. There are some very minor defects and very few losses of veneer - as you would expect with any antique item. There are a couple of pieces of replaced veneer. We have replaced the missing patrae and fitted 3 new ball and eagle finials to replace the damaged originals. The finials can be removed if your ceiling height requires it. We have replaced the back feet with Oak and fitted new glass to the hood. Clock looks stunning as you can see in the pictures below.

A stunning centerpiece for any early railroad enthusiast!

Dimensions: Height 91", Width 23 3/4", Depth 10 3/4"

Railroadiana Longcase clock