Skeleton Clocks: Britain 1800-1914

The first British skeleton clocks were made circa 1820 but only in limited numbers. Demand increased as a new generation sought novelty. The heyday of skeleton clock production was in the 30 to 40 years following the Great Exhibition of 1851 in which some highly ornamental examples were featured. Gradually manufacturing became concentrated in the Midlands, London and Liverpool in the hands of such firms as Smith's of Clerkenwell, London and Evans of Handsworth in Birmingham, who sold to retailers throughout the world. Standardization of parts and relatively large volume manufacturing thus enabled the price to be dropped; the result of which was that apart from the luxury end of the trade, small makers ceased to compete.