FEATURES ARCHIVE

There are two things that immediately strike you about this superb musical longcase clock by Thomas Eayre. The first is how imposing it is: it stands over nine feet (274 cm) tall. And the second is the lavishly decorated case. The walnut veneers are beautifully figured and have a lovely rich colour, just what one wants from a clock case. They are set off splendidly by brass mouldings and mounts. Brass was expensive when this clock was made and it was only used this freely on the finest cases.

The mechanics are impressive too. Every three hours the clock will play one of nine tunes. It also strikes the hours and chimes the quarters. The music can be changed by turning a lever at the top of the dial. There are eighteen bells in all and the clock is powered by four weights; ordinary clocks just have two.

You might think such a magnificent clock to have been made in London but Thomas Eayre (1691-1757) who was the second of three generations of clockmakers and bellfounders in Kettering. Three of the original bells of the parish church of Saints Peter and Paul in the town were cast by the Eayre family. Theirs would have been an important local business and it is commemorated to this day in the name of Bellfoundry Lane.

The clock is believed to have been made for the Pares family of Leicester, two of whom were mayors of the city, which is not far from Kettering. Certainly a clock like this would have been a special commission for a wealthy patron; no clockmaker would make such a luxurious clock without being sure of a client to buy it.