Lantern Clocks
What is a Lantern Clock?
Lantern Clocks - also known as "bird-cage" or "chamber" clocks - were an early form of wall
clock that were very popular in the 17th century. Their name comes from the distinctive shape.
A roughly cubical box contains the mechanism and supports the dial, which is often
oversized. On top of the main unit there is often decorative fretwork and the whole clock
is topped with a bell. Standard size for a lantern clock was around 15 or 16 inches tall.The clock would usually strike the hour, though some were built with an alarm function instead.
Weights
The lantern clock was hung on a wall and was weight driven, the weight hanging down through the base of the clock. There were usually two weights, one for "going", the other for "striking". These weights meant that a sturdy wall hook was required! Today lantern clocks are often stood on a wall bracket.Early weight driven clocks used a simple balance wheel escapement and were never very accurate. For this reason they were usually built with only one hand. This indicated the hour, with quarter hour divisions marked on the face. These early weight driven lantern clocks didn't run for long and required winding frequently, sometimes as often as every eight hours.
Pendulums
Lantern clocks started going out of fashion with the introduction of long-case clocks based on the pendulum system. Lantern clocks were still made and the later ones used the new pendulum technology along with verge or anchor escapements. These pendulum regulated versions were far more reliable and could usually run for up to thirty hours between windings.Production of original lantern clocks all but ceased by mid to late 18th century. The 19th century saw a resurgence of interest from the Victorians and many older models were "upgraded" to use pendulums.
Some lantern clocks use a spring driven mechanism. These are either modifications to an original mechanism or a more modern version.