Town guide / South Manchester and Stockport
A long-case clock for a Bramhall hallway
Bramhall is best known for Bramall Hall, the black-and-white timber-framed house in its own park, but most of the village is twentieth-century housing with halls that rarely reach Victorian heights.
i.
The houses
Ceiling height is the first limit. Many semis and detached houses here have ordinary modern ceilings, while long-case clocks vary widely, and a tall clock with finials can simply be too tall for a lower hall. An open staircase can also crowd the wall beside the front door where a clock would naturally stand. Floors matter as well: a clock needs to stand firm, and springy boards can upset the swing of the pendulum.
ii.
Long-case clocks in that setting
Long-case clocks have either 30-hour movements, usually wound daily by pulling a rope or chain, or 8-day movements wound weekly with a key. Dials may be painted or brass, and the hood normally slides off to reach the movement. Ask Sara for the height with and without the hood and finials, the movement type, and whether the case and movement are thought to have started out together.
iii.
Buying from Caernarfon
Life: Full Colour has no branch in Bramhall; it is in Caernarfon, reached along the A55 and A487.
Buying works the same way from anywhere: find a piece, ask Sara about it by the enquiry form or on 01286 400155, and buy through Creative Caernarfon.
Visiting and delivery
Life: Full Colour is based at 9 Segontium Terrace, Caernarfon LL55 2PN. Ask Sara whether delivery or viewing is possible for a particular piece.
iv.
Questions for a Bramhall buyer
They vary considerably. Some country clocks are fairly modest, while grander examples, especially with finials on the hood, need far more room. The only reliable figure is the measurement of the clock itself, so ask Sara for the height with the hood and any finials fitted, and compare it with your ceiling.
A 30-hour clock usually has a single weight on a rope or chain and needs winding every day. An 8-day clock typically has two weights on lines and is wound once a week with a key through holes in the dial. Both can keep good time when properly set up and level.
It can, but the clock must stand steady and upright, since any movement affects its beat. Many owners fix the case discreetly to the wall to stop it rocking. Ask Sara whether the case has old fixing holes, and consider asking a clock specialist to set it in beat after any move.
A tall, narrow case can tempt little hands, and the trunk door opens onto the weights. Keep the door latched, keep the key or winding rope out of reach, and make sure the case stands stable on the floor. Weights and pendulum are not toys.
An 8-day clock is wound with a key, which easily goes missing in a busy house. Many owners keep it in the trunk, on a hook inside the door, so it stays with the clock. A 30-hour clock is wound by pulling a rope or chain, so it has no key to lose.
Once a clock is set level and in beat, moving it even a little can put it out of beat, so decide on a position first. Mark the floor, check the case is level and then leave it. If it must move, take out the weights and pendulum first.
The trunk houses the weights and the pendulum behind a door. The falling weights drive the movement, while the swing of the pendulum regulates the time. The weights must hang freely, so the case needs to stand upright, and the pendulum needs room to swing without touching the trunk.
Yes. It simply runs down when it needs winding, and nothing is harmed by that. On your return, wind it, set the hands forward rather than forcing them back, and give the pendulum a gentle push to start it. Check it is still level if anything near it has been moved.
The pendulum is usually adjustable, often with a nut below the bob: raising the bob speeds the clock and lowering it slows it. Make tiny changes and wait a day or two. If it still keeps poor time, ask a clock specialist, as the cause may lie in the movement.
A soft dry cloth on the case, hood and trunk door is enough, with a little wax on the wood now and then. Leave the movement and dial to a specialist, since a stray cloth or duster can snag. Ask Sara what the dial's finish is before cleaning it.