Lot 360 , R. Townsend of Woolwich. A Victorian mahogany cased regulator,

R. Townsend of Woolwich. A Victorian mahogany cased regulator, the silvered circular dial with subsidiary hours, minutes and outer seconds, inscribed Estabed 1859 Greenwich Time, with anchor escapement and a heavy brass cased lead pendulum inscribed M. Percival & Thos. James Woolwich, slow / fast
Estimate £1,000-1,500

Case - it needs a little attention and has some sun fading losses to the varnish and chips as follows. The hood door has some losses and re-veneering top left in particular and where the lock has been removed and there is a loss to the veneer on the apron frieze of the hood. There are some gouges and dents to the left hand side screw holes. The trunk door has two different replacement hinges and on both hinges its chunked out the piece of wood on the side, which has been messily re-glued and screwed in position. Again there is various odd gouges and holes on the side of the case making me think that the case has been made up from something else, or certainly the left hand panel has been made up from something else. The box-base has a couple of splits down the left side and to the right hand side and some scuffing to the front and around the feet. The foot on the left and right hand side has been shaped in where it has been made to fit the alcove or similar. The circular glass in the hood door is loose, the sides of the case are mahogany but the cheeks are made of pine which has been tacked on. The seat board is made of probably oak and the movement is screwed to this. No apparent spare holes between the two plates with a very heavy duty cock, the dial appears original and is silvered and there is a sweep seconds hand as well as hour and minute indicator dials. The pulley wheel is of very high quality and looks original. The pendulum has a gilt painted wooden rod and an extremely heavy circular pendulum which is engraved M Percival and Thomas James Woolwich Slow Fast, the bob is 18cm in diameter. There is a single brass case weight of good quality which has some denting around the top and general nicks and scuffs but appears to match the pendulum bob in terms of colour of the brass. The leaf spring is intact on the pendulum and the backboard has a couple of screw holes, there is also a strange moulding at the bottom, my feeling is that the movement pendulum and weight are original and have been married to a case that has probably been made up around it. It is possible however that the hood is original.
Dial diameter approx. 30.2cm.


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Sold for £4,200