Why Antique Clocks and Barometers Make Such Rewarding Collectors' Pieces

Few objects bridge the gap between craftsmanship and countryside quite so neatly as a longcase clock standing in a stone-flag hallway, or a mahogany banjo barometer hung beside a cottage door. These pieces were made to be used daily, and most have already survived a century or more of British damp, draughts and coal smoke. That is part of the appeal — but it is also why you need to look carefully before you part with your money.

You do not need a horologist's training to buy well. You need patience, a decent torch, a magnifying glass and a willingness to ask awkward questions. The rewards are considerable: a good provincial clock or a well-made barometer can be enjoyed every day, and both remain undervalued compared with furniture of similar age and quality.

Start with the Movement, Not the Case

The movement is the engine, and it is where money quietly disappears. Ask the seller to let you hear it run and, where possible, see it with the hood or case door open.

• Check the winding. A weight-driven longcase clock with two weights is usually an eight-day movement; a single weight on a chain or rope often means thirty hours, which needs winding daily. Eight-day movements are generally more desirable.
• Listen to the strike. It should be even and unhurried. A sluggish strike, a pause before the hour, or a hammer that misses the bell all point to wear in the going train.
• Look for original parts. Weights, pendulums, bobs, hands and bells are frequently replaced. Mismatched weights or a pendulum bob of the wrong size are common and not fatal, but they affect value.
• Beware the "married" clock. Movements and cases were sometimes paired up later. Check that the dial fits its mask or hood properly and that screw holes and shadow marks line up with the movement's feet.
• French carriage clocks should strike cleanly and run for eight days from one winding. Replaced platforms and later hands are common; original signed dials and correct escapements matter greatly.

Above all, resist "I'll get it seen to later". A full overhaul by a specialist can cost several hundred pounds, and that figure should influence what you are prepared to pay.

The Case and Dial: Where Condition Rules

On a clock, the case and dial are the public face and the hardest parts to restore convincingly. Original surface is everything. A longcase clock that has been stripped back to bare wood and re-polished has lost much of its character and a good deal of its value.

Inspect for woodworm in oak and mahogany cases — small flight holes and fine dust beneath are the giveaway. Lifting veneer, splits in the trunk door and replacement feet or plinths are all repairable, but should be reflected in the price.

Dial condition deserves your closest attention. Painted dials with arched corners, moon phases and country scenes are charming, but a repainted dial is a serious flaw; look for brush marks, colours that are too bright, and a surface that does not match the wear of the chapter ring. Brass dials should show an even, dark patina rather than the raw yellow of over-enthusiastic cleaning.

Barometers: Mercury, Aneroid and Everything Between

Barometers divide broadly into mercury and aneroid types. Mercury stick, wheel and banjo barometers are the traditional British favourites, with mahogany or rosewood cases and engraved silvered or brass dials. Aneroid barometers, which use a sealed vacuum box rather than a column of mercury, are lighter, cheaper and often Victorian or early twentieth century.

• Mercury barometers must be complete. Check for cracks in the glass tube, a sound cistern and, on wheel barometers, a working float and pulley arrangement. Missing or broken tubes are costly to replace correctly.
• Beware modern mercury. Genuine mercury is still legally available for antique instruments, but a tube filled recently with the wrong bore will never read true.
• Look for originality on the dial. Engraved maker's names, weather indications and verniers should be crisp. Re-silvered or over-polished dials lose definition.
• Check the case. Lift the barometer gently and look for repairs to the thermometer tube, and for veneer that has lifted around the curved top. Banjo barometers are especially prone to this.

A barometer that reads incorrectly is not necessarily a bargain. Calibration and tube replacement need a specialist, and the cost can easily exceed the price of a better example.

Where to Buy, and What to Pay

Country auction rooms, provincial antique fairs and specialist dealers all have their place. Auction bargains exist, but you must allow for buyer's premium and collection costs, and you cannot always test a movement beforehand. Dealers charge more but usually offer a working instrument and a guarantee.

Online listings can work well if the seller provides sharp photographs of the movement, the dial and the case back, plus honest notes on running and striking. Ask direct questions: when was it last serviced, does it run for a full eight days, and is any part replaced? Written answers are useful.

As a rough guide, a sound eight-day longcase clock by a lesser-known maker can be bought for a few hundred pounds, while a good provincial example with an original dial and case will run into four figures. Barometers start lower still, though signed instruments in fine condition command serious money.

Repair and Maintenance: The Long Game

These are mechanical objects and they need looking after. A clock should be cleaned and oiled by a qualified horologist roughly every five to seven years, and any worn pivot, bush or spring dealt with at the same time. Do not be tempted to oil it yourself: the wrong oil, in the wrong quantity, turns to gum and accelerates wear.

Barometers need less attention but still benefit from a check every decade or so. Mercury should never be handled casually — a spill is a health hazard — so leave tube work to a specialist. Keep both clocks and barometers away from radiators, direct sunlight and damp outside walls, and move longcase clocks only with the movement, weights and pendulum removed.

Buy the best example you can afford, from someone who will answer questions honestly, and budget for proper care from the outset. Do that, and you will be the custodian of something that will comfortably outlast you — and give a great deal of quiet pleasure along the way.