History of the Grandfather Clock

553 Words3 Pages
Time keeping was extremely important in Galileo’s experiments, and so he used pendulums frequently, discovering a few important things about this instrument that later served to create the grandfather clock in 1656. Christian Huygens, a Dutchman, was the first to use the pendulum in clocks, and the first Grandfather clocks were created in Britain after Ahasuerus Formenteel sent his son to Holland to learn about the use of this instrument. Pendulums were not the only instrument used to produce Grandfather clocks, or the rather formal name – Long Case clock. A balance wheel and weights were also used to make the clock work. When the anchor escapement was invented in 1670 – a discovery that ensured Britain would be remembered as the main clock producer in the world - they realized it was much easier to keep the time when this invention was used along with the pendulum and weights the device was a much more accurate time keeper. The first designs were basic; the case was usually made of oak and with an architectural design, clockmakers were more preoccupied with creating a device that was capable of keeping accurate time than making something that was beautiful. The first dials were also simple: just a brass spandrel framing a chapter ring. In time, the designs became more elegant: the cases became smaller and the materials used were different, woods like pine and walnut veneered with fruitwood were the most usual. The dials contained more features such as a silence switch, the phases of the moon, and a date and time regulator, to be able to accommodate these new features an arch was added to the top of the brass square. During the eighteenth century, the Long Case clock became popular not only in London but in the surrounding areas this resulted in a wide variety of clocks being made. Each area had their unique case style. As the styles progressed however,
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