Clocks and Watches (Room 38–9)
The Sir Harry and Lady Djanogly Gallery
AD 1300 – present
Mechanical clocks were invented in Western Europe in the
medieval period and were first used in cathedrals and churches.
Room 39 traces their development from these earliest examples to
complex and highly decorative domestic clocks, marine chronometers,
mass-market designs and modern precision time-keeping.
Many of the hundreds of exhibits on display are working and can
be heard ticking, striking and chiming the hours.
The story of the watch will also be traced from the early
sixteenth century to modern quartz precision and radio-control.
Books related to the gallery