Time to Admire

Description

We present for consideration, this fine and appealing fusee wall timepiece with 12” dial, by makers Swinden & Sons of 27-29 Temple Street, Birmingham, (which in 1870 was in the county of Warwickshire).

Francis Charles Swinden (born 1793 in Brentford, Middlesex), was the founder of the family business, moving to Birmingham in c1812 to complete his horological apprenticeship. He then remained in this large industrial Midlands city and eventually set-up his own clock, watch making and jewellery business, initially from 69 Bath Row. Swinden senior had 4 sons, 2 of which followed him into the business: Edward Charles (born 1830) and Francis Jr (born 1831) and traded initially as “Francis Swinden & Co.”, before changing to “Swinden & Sons” from 1857 onwards.

• Eye-catching solid golden Oak turned roundhead face and boxed cabinet both have good, aged patination.
• 2 x hinged inspection doors, one on each side of the box.
• Hinged operable lockable regulator door located at the bottom of the box.
• Original metal dial and artwork, with black Roman numerals and the Swinden & Sons details.
• Original pair of blued steel spade hands, secured with a pinned collet.
• Thick glaze mounted in a solid brass bezel.
• Quality 8-day single fusee chain driven movement set between shouldered plates and turned pillars.
• Comes with its 73mm diameter brass pendulum bob, door key and brass winding key.

Swinden senior passed away on 9 June 1865, leaving the business to his clockmaking sons Edward and Francis Jr, who continued to grow the brand by moving to larger triple premises at 27, 28 & 29 Temple Street, Birmingham, (from where this fabulous timepiece would have been made). It is also known that around this same period, most of Birmingham’s local Govt. schools, libraries and public buildings/offices had a Swinden-made clock hanging from their walls.

(On the retirement of both Edward and Francis Jr in c1884, Francis’ son [Francis George Swinden, born 1856] took over running of the business. Francis Swinden Jr then passed away in the autumn of 1900 at King's Norton, Worcestershire, aged of 69, and in 1912 the Swinden & Sons business was sold to established Birmingham multi-site jewellers ‘W.A. Perry & Co.’)

…A truly outstanding, well-proportioned, and high-quality English fusee dial timepiece from the mid-Victorian era, from one Birmingham’s most prominent and well-documented clock making families of the period. Sympathetically restored, allowing the clock to exhibit much of its long history of use, probably as a highly valued industrial working clock! Sold with further research.


Please contact us for further information.