GIFT TO NATION

Evening Star, Issue 25679, 31 December 1945, Page 2

GIFT TO NATION

CLOCK OF MANY MARVELS Mr Thomas Vickery, who hag died at Astley Abbotts, near Bridgnorth, Shropshire, gave all his spare' time', amounting to 20 years,, from his ordinary job or watch repairing, to make a clock which is now to be placed in the cloekmakers’ museum at the Guildhall, London, to be the property of the nation. He also made a planetarium which is so accurate that no error, assuming there is one, will be> apparent for 300 years. ■' . Mr Vickery, who was 62, refused all offers for his dock. The dial shows the time of day, a perpetual calendar automatically setting itself for the number of days in a month, the day of the week, the day of the month, and the name of the month.

The equation of time, or variation between mean solar time and solar time, the' time of sunset and, sunrise, are shown, on smaller dials. Above these is an-astronomical dial-giving the suii’s place in. the elliptic; a gold diso representing the sun. "'. . f The chiming and striking mechanism, on the same movement, provide for alternate Westminster and Whittington quarter chimes, When the hours strike there is a different tune for each day of the week. The tune is played every three hours and the change to the tune for the day is carried out automatically at midnight. The tunes, played .on a set of 10 bells in 'the key of C major, are:— Sunday, ‘ Easter Hymn ’; Monday, ‘Stella’; Tuesdav, ‘ The Harp that Once Wednesday, ‘All Saints’; Thursday, ‘Ye Banks and Braes Friday, ‘ All Ye Faithful ’; Saturday, ‘ Tom Bowling.’ -