I am new to this site. Firstly, I am not a horologist but I would like to know some information about a clock I own and ask for some advice.

It belonged to my uncle who lived in a cottage in Ashburton in Devon, England. I am unsure where he got it from.

I believe, actually I am pretty sure, it is a Trumpeter wall clock. My uncle took a cutting from something that suggested it was made in 1810. He also hand wrote something which gave a date of 1862; in other words, he was and I am unsure of its date and would like to know if possible.

It is a fairly large clock and heavy. The wood is black, certainly when viewing on the outside. It has what I would say is a triangular prism on top which looks rather like a shallow roof of a house. It then narrows into a long, basic, cuboid shape which is surrounded by a myriad of leaf and branch carvings. Actually, on the main body of the clock, there are ten leaves. On this main body, there is are double doors towards the bottom of which two painted trumpeters would emerge.

As for the face of the clock, this is surrounded by a circular carving which is supposed to be a branch. There are three or four leaves behind the hands, the hands made of either wood or some sort of bone. I believe it is bone. One hand is complete. The other has sadly lost its tip but this, I am sure, was like this before I and my mother received it. The roman numerals around the clock face would be of the same material.

At the bottom, it then widened again. The basic proportion of it would be another cuboid but, in reality, is nothing like a cuboid. It is another myriad of leaf and branch carving on four sides. The whole clock makes a roughly symmetrical shape down the middle, other than individual details.

I cannot describe the mechanism: I am no expert. All I know is that my uncle had never used the clock for keeping time due to the mechanism. I suppose it is damaged or needs repairs in some way. It has 5 horns or bellows- I am not sure of their precise name.

I was told by someone that the case was one piece of wood. The bad news was that when my uncle died, and I and my mother received it, we took it home and not long after there was an accident with it which involved me. I was about ten at the time and I and my friends were messing around. The clock was located on a stand my uncle had made. My father, foolishly, had placed it behind a door in a bedroom. I and my friends were playing a chase game and it got knocked over when the door was opened. It landed on a soft bed and this may have saved it from much more damage. I feel incredibly guilty, even now, about it as I had always loved the clock and never meant harm on it.

As for the damage, the main body of the clock and its carvings seem fine. All the leaves are complete. As I said, there is damage to one of the hands although this was done, I am sure, before the accident. One little bit of edging around a small rectangle has fallen off but apart from that it seems OK. The intricate base has fallen away from the clock in the main. There was a tiny bit of damage to this before the accident. The carvings have broken into two large sections, although the actual leaf detail seems to be OK. It was supposed to be one piece of wood but the way the base has fallen away suggests otherwise; it has split in straight lines rather than splinter.

My mother was told on the phone that it was not worth restoring but he or she hadn’t actually seen it in person. To me it IS worth restoring because of its family value, to alleviate the guilt surrounding it and because I think it is beautiful. I would like to know if it is possible to restore it. I do not care if restoring it would cost more than its actual value, if indeed it has any value left since the accident or if it had any value in the first place. I would like to know how much it may cost to restore, if anyone knows.

A little note says it was made in Germany- perhaps in the black forest region? I have read that this area was known for its wood carvings and clock making. There is a hand written note from my uncle which says something about Uxbridge, which I presume refers to the place near London and gives an unreadable street name. There is also an old official note on the back of the clock which reads ‘Camera Kuss and co.’ and something about Oxford Street, London. There is some information about two awards from a technology exhibition in the 1880s which doesn’t fit with the possible dates that the clock was made. I thought Camera Kuss were the manufacturers but my feeling now is that they were the retailers.

Sorry about the length of this. Any answers to any of the questions or any more information would be much appreciated. I will try and provide photos if I can. If someone could tell me how to do this I would be grateful.

Thanks,

Chris

Hi Christopher

I read your post with interest.

I have no doubt that it can be repaired, given the time; inclination and money

Pictures would help.

I am in the UK residing in Kent if you cannot post the pictures on the web site I'm happy to receive them by post.

Kind Regards

Clive Driscoll MBHI

Thankyou for your reply Clive.

I will not photograph it tonight. I will try and do it tomorrow in daylight. How do you place pictures on this site by the way? The pictures will not be brilliant as it is only a small digital camera phone.

I also have one other clock that I own and am interested in knowing more about. It is metal of some sort, small. It has an inscription, ‘Dieu et mon droit’ (‘God and my right’), on a small banner near the bottom. Around the clock face is insribed, ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’ (‘Shame be to him who thinks evil of it’ or ‘Evil be to him who evil thinks’). These are the mottos of the British monarch since Henry V (reigned 1413- 1422) and British chivalric Order of the Garter respectively (apoliges if readers already knew this).

At the top it has a crown and a knights helmet, then a leaf crest and a circular sections with the insription which surrounds the face. It has two ‘fish’ (?) on the sides and an anchor at the base.

It has a nice mechanism housed inside what we believe (me and my mother) is a tin case. Not sure of the date or where it came from.

Anyway, I’ll photo tomorrow.

Cheers,

Chris

Ok folks...does anyone know how to import photos from a picture file onto this website?

They are in a file on my computer. I would have less trouble if it were an internet picture, but in this instance I am unsure.

Any help would be appreciated.

Chris

Ok I have a number of images. I apologise that they are of poor quality. I should have borrowed my dads SLR but still. I will do them one at a time as when I try and send the whole lot at once it exceeds the 222kb, or whatever it is. Here they come...

I HOPE!

YAY...

thanks for your help Debbie and everyone. More will come shortly

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and another...

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