Antique Night Watchman's Clock

This mahogany cased Night Watchman's clock was made by H Bannister & Son, 20 Air Street, London, dated c.1880.

The night watchman depresses the lever on the top of the clock, which in turn depresses a pin on the outer chapter of the dial. With the initial design of these clocks, a canny watchman would leave the lever depressed, thus stopping the clock as it caught on the next pin a half hour later. Late improved designs such as this mechanism overcame this problem by incorporating a pivoted section on the plunger, so that if the plunger was jammed down, it would pivot out of the way and flick back to its correct position without affecting the pins. After the night shift, the person overseeing the watchman would be able to the the times when the night watchman had patrolled the area of this clock. After 11½ hours, an internal "ramp" forces the pins back up.
The front door is clearly locked, giving only the watchman's superior access to the movement, for timesetting and winding of the clock.

The eight day single fusee movement has a half-hourly passing strike on a bell.

The silvered dial with Roman numerals is inscribed 'H. Banniter & Son', on an ogee plinth and rectangular base.

Height 12 3/" (32.5cm)
Width 9" (23 cm)
Depth 8" (20cms)

Overhauled and guaranteed for 3 years.