As midnight approaches on New Year’s Eve millions of eyes will be on Big Ben and a multitude clocks and watches as we count down to January 1, writes Charles Hanson.
Being able to follow the passage of time – every hour, minute and second – is crucial in our daily lives. We take it for granted but we have many people to thank for the mechanical brilliance demonstrated in the timepieces we rely on.
Talented clock-makers and horologists have emerged through the generations, people who have put the importance of telling the time with precision and reliability at the centre of their lives.
Take John Whitehurst (1713-1788), a Derby clockmaker, scientist and member of The Lunar Society of Birmingham, a group of intellectuals who met between 1765 and 1813 to share ideas.
Genius and inventiveness have been the hallmark of clock and watch-making through the centuries. Consequently, the importance of antique clocks grows with time.
One man who appreciated all that clocks have to offer was the late David Bradnock, an eminent horologist and clock consultant. We are proud to offer his personal collection in Hansons’ first sale of 2023.
Thanks to David’s knowledge and dedication, Hansons’ clock valuer Mike Wetton has been enjoying cataloguing some of the finest antique timepieces he has seen for a good while.
David’s deep understanding of the subject combined with a collector’s passion enabled him to amass objects of pedigree, 36 of which will be offered in Hansons’ January 9 Fine Art sale.
David was born in Birmingham in 1943 and looked destined to follow in his father’s footsteps in the watch and clocks trade. He studied hard and at 22 became a Fellow of the British Horological Institute, one of the youngest people ever to do so. Such was his knowledge he achieved 98% in the final exam!
His future looked bright. An opportunity to move to Switzerland to work for a Swiss watch company beckoned but it was not to be. After meeting his future wife, David moved into the heating systems industry, rising to run his own company.
He was a community-minded man of action. He became County President for Birmingham Scouts, Deputy Lord Lieutenant for the West Midlands, chair of the Birmingham Bench of Magistrates 2000-2006 and President of the Solihull Centre of the National Trust.
But amid all these commitments his interest in horology never waned. As Birmingham’s diocesan advisor on clocks, he was responsible for the maintenance and restoration of dozens of church clocks. He also advised on some of the oldest and most beautiful clocks in the world.
David’s passion is reflected in the variety and quality of the collection going under the hammer. For example, a scarce, fine mid-Victorian fusee carriage clock by McCabe of London, serial number 2967, carries an estimate of £10,000- £20,000. English carriage clocks of this calibre rarely come to market.
Belfast-born James McCabe came to London in the 1770s, settling at Royal Exchange in 1804. He became a Freeman of the Clockmakers Company in 1781 and a Warden in 1811, the year he died.
He was succeeded by his son, also James, who is regarded as one of the finest English clock and watchmakers of the 19th century. Robert Jeremy McCabe, James’s nephew, continued the business until he retired in 1883.
Another rarity is an 18th century Thomas Moore of Ipswich triple fusee verge bracket or table clock striking on eight bells. In lovely condition, it has a guide price of £5,000-£8,000. The Moores were another clock-making dynasty with skills passed from father to son.
The collection also includes a splendid musical singing cage bird automata. It is in good condition and comes with its original case, estimate £500-£1,000.
Numerous grande sonnerie carriage clocks and marine chronometers from the 19th century will also tempt bidders together with a good French mantle clock, dated 1878. This striking ornamental timepiece features an Arabic fighter on horseback astride a small two-train clock engraved ‘Stevenard Boulogne’, £400-£600.
Pierre-Louis Stevenard (1801-1883) was not only a clockmaker but a creator of automata and moving dolls, often incorporating the most ingenious mechanisms.
He was considered a master of his craft in France. Between 1833 and 1842 he produced three important pieces, each incorporating a miniature musician. At the Paris Exposition of 1878, at the age of 77, he showed two automata, The Physician and The Singing Lesson, for which he was awarded a bronze medal.
Thank you for your time! Every moment is appreciated. When the clock chimes at midnight on December 31 I will be thinking of everyone who has supported Hansons. Happy New Year!
All items are being offered in Hansons’ January 9 Fine Art Auction. Catalogue/bidding: www.hansonslive.co.uk – catalogue due live Dec 21.
To book a free clock or barometer valuation, email [email protected]
