Clocks · Lantern clock
Special Coronation two train lantern clock designed by Davall & Sons, hallmarked London 1937
- Maker / attribution
- Davall & Sons (maker)
- Date
- 1937 (hallmarked London)
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- England
- Object type
- Lantern clock
- Dimensions
- Height 13.75 in (35 cm)
- Auction house
- Gardiner Houlgate (auction house), Corsham
- Lot
- Sale 7, lot 1373
- Credit line
- Auction lot record: lot 1373, Fine Clocks, Gardiner Houlgate (27th October 2022)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Rare Special Coronation two train lantern clock designed by Davall & Sons in 1936 for the coronation of Edward VIII, signed Davall, London 1937 in an oval on the back door, the 5.75" brass chapter rin (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Gardiner Houlgate (auction house), Corsham (lot Sale 7, lot 1373), this is a lantern clock by Davall & Sons, made in England, dated 1937 (hallmarked London). The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Clocks collection. Recorded dimensions: Height 13.75 in (35 cm). The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Lot description — Gardiner Houlgate
Rare Special Coronation two train lantern clock designed by Davall & Sons in 1936 for the coronation of Edward VIII, signed Davall, London 1937 in an oval on the back door, the 5.75" brass chapter ring enclosing royal Coats of Arms and inscribed GR VI Crowned 12th May 1937, surmounted by a strapwork beaded crown and finial 13.75" high (key) **The dial on this clock was originally designed for Edward VIII but then he abdicated so his title was replaced on the dial to George VI See Rita Shenton - The Price Guide to Collectable Clocks 1840-1940, page 152
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
Between 1900 and 1945 clocks were electrified: master-clock systems ran factories and offices, synchronous mains clocks entered homes, and the Shortt free-pendulum clock set new standards of accuracy before the first quartz clocks (1927). Art Deco design reshaped mantel and table clocks.
Read the period in the timelineMore clocks from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Lantern, chamber and Gothic clocks
Domestic weight-driven clocks were made in southern Germany, Switzerland, Italy and Flanders from the fifteenth century. These 'Gothic' or chamber clocks have an open iron frame with corner posts, a verge escapement controlled by a foliot or balance wheel, and often an alarm or hour striking on a bell mounted above.
In England the lantern clock appeared around 1600: a brass posted-frame clock with a bell on top under decorative frets, hung on a hook or set on a wall bracket. After about 1658 many were converted to pendulum control, so originality of the escapement is a key question for any surviving example.
What to look for
- Iron (continental) or brass (English) posted frames with turned corner pillars and finials.
- A single hour hand — minute hands are rare before the pendulum era.
- Evidence of conversion: plugged holes, replaced escapement wheels or later pendulums.
- Fret designs and engraving on the dial centre, which help date English lantern clocks.
Dating clues
- Continental Gothic chamber clocks: c. 1450–1650.
- English lantern clocks: c. 1600–1720, with provincial examples later.
- Short 'bob' pendulum conversions after 1658; long pendulums with anchor escapement after c. 1670.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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