Thomas Cole, London c1853

A small 30-hour oval strut timepiece made by Thomas Cole, London and retailed by Dent, Cockspur Street, London. The case height is 4½ inches.

Neither the movement nor the case of this clock is stamped ‘Thomas Cole’ but the design, the engraving and the serial number all indicate that this timepiece can be attributed to him with confidence.

Thomas Cole was born in Somerset in 1800, the son of a clockmaker. Cole moved to London in the early 1820’s but was not working independently until about 1838.

By 1845 Cole was calling himself a ‘designer and maker of ornamental clocks’ and exhibited as such at the Great Exhibition of 1851. He is justly famous for high quality clocks of individual design always with fine engraving. Thomas Cole died of typhoid fever on 3rd January 1864.

The clock has an engraved and gilt brass case with a fold out strut to the rear.

The engraved and silvered dial measures 3¼ x 2¼ inches and the retailer’s name Dent, Cockspur Street is painted in a cartouche above 12 o’clock.

The timepiece has blued steel hands, the hour hand of fleur de lys pattern.

The serial number 1142 157 is stamped on the rear of the case, and the abbreviated serial number 42 stamped in 5 places (back of dial mounting plate, back of dial mask and on 3 of the rear case parts). The dial is also stamped 1142 on the dial under the mask.

When exhibited at the Great Exhibition of 1851, Thomas Cole's strut clocks attracted a lot of attention due to the thinness of the case, as can be seen in the photograph to the right.

The photographs below show the rear of the clock. As usual with Cole’s 30-hour timepieces, the movement is a Swiss watch movement with going barrel.

The photograph (below right) shows the access to the regulation lever via a shuttered aperture on the rear of the case.

The case gilding is now worn with little gilding remaining on the strut, rear cover and dial surround.

Stock No. C1106