A 19th century hook and spike wall alarum, the silvered bras...

1/1

Hammer

£750

A 19th century hook and spike wall alarum, the silvered brass 15cm dial inscribed Whitehurst & Son/Derby No. 4341, Roman chapter, spade hands, brass setting hand, 30 hour four pillar movement striking and sounding on a bell, half second pendulum and two weights, numbered 4341 on the backplate, c.1830/31. Whitehurst and Son represents the successor firm to the company founded by the celebrated John Whitehurst FRS (1713-1788) by his nephew, John Whitehurst II. He entered into partnership with his son, John Whitehurst III in 1809 and from that date the majority of their clocks were numbered, and until the death of John II in 1834, they were signed, as here, Whitehurst & Son/Derby. Hook-and-spike wall clocks of various types were a staple of their output right up until the demise of the firm on John III's death in 1855.