Exhibitions

Since its inception in 1953 the Antiquarian Horological Society has regularly gathered together clocks in public exhibitions, not just for the benefit of its members but to fulfil one of its founding aims - that of promoting the study of clocks and watches and the history of time measurement in all its forms.

"The British Clockmakers Heritage Exhibition" at the Science Museum, London, in 1952 was a significant trigger in the decision to bring together those interested in antiquarian horological artefacts, and to start the AHS.

Since 1953, there have been several public exhibitions mounted by the Society bringing the wonders of horology across the ages to the public notice, right through to 2008 with "Your Time" in Liverpool. This exhibition coincided with the Society's 2008 AGM and helped to celebrate Liverpool's crown of 'City of Culture 2008'.

Many of the clocks displayed in these exhibitions were from private collections, and would not have normally been available for study.

The primary major exhibitions for which the Society has been responsible are:

"Collectors Pieces, Clocks and Watches"
at the Science Museum, London in 1964.

"Electrifying Time" (More...)
at the Science Museum, London in 1977 commemorating the centenary of the death of Alexander Bain.

"Horological Masterworks" (More...)
at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford in 2003, celebrating the Society's 50th anniversary.

"Time and Place" (More...)
at the Museum of the History of Science, Oxford in 2007.

"Your Time" (More...)
at Liverpool in 2008.

'Electrifying Time'

The Science Museum, London
15th December 1976 to 11th April 1977

Claimed as the first exhibition in the world to show the evolution of the application of electricity to timekeeping, it displayed examples of the genre from the first successful use in 1842 by Alexander Bain, the Father of Electrical Timekeeping, through to the use of the quartz crystal in modern timepieces.

As with other AHS exhibitions, many items on display were from private collections.

Catalogues are now collectors items in themselves.

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'Horological Masterworks'

The Museum of The History of Science, Oxford
29th March to 31st May 2003

The Director of the Museum of the History of Science, Dr Jim Bennett, wrote of this AHS exhibition:

"HOROLOGICAL MASTERWORKS was the finest special exhibition ever mounted at the Museum of the History of Science."

The principal objective was to increase public awareness of the English horological heritage which blossomed in the seventeenth century. It is perhaps not generally appreciated that English clock- and watch-makers of the period, through their ingenuity and craftsmanship, helped lay the foundations for the Industrial Revolution and Britain's success in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The exhibition featured the work of many of England's leading craftsmen. With some fifty-three exhibits, all from private collections, the exhibition provided a glorious visual feast.

Guided tours of the exhibition and a Study Day supported the event, and a total of over 8000 visitors were recorded - an unprecedented level of interest in a specialist exhibition at the Museum.

(Copies of the catalogue are no longer available)

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'TIME & PLACE – English Country Clocks 1600-1840'

An Antiquarian Horological Society exhibition held at
The Museum of The History of Science, Broad Street, Oxford,
25 November 2006 – 15 April 2007

	The second exhibition that the AHS mounted in conjunction with the Museum of the History of Science in Oxford, this exhibition was timed to coincide with the Society's AGM held at Keeble College, Oxford, in March 2007. In the catalogue, all sixty-eight exhibits are lavishly illustrated, plus there is an introduction and supporting articles on specific makers: Jeff Darken on James Woolley of Codnor Michael Lee on John and Robert Watts of Stamford Michael Pearson on the Greenhills of Kent John Thornton on Samuel Deacon Chris Watson on Henry Hindley Sir George White on John London of Bristol John Robey and Tom Spittler contributed a comprehensive bibliography relating to provincial and country clocks, and David Thompson, Curator of Horology at The British Museum, compiled a list of museums with horological content. (Copies of this catalogue are still available from the Society)

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'Your Time'

Prescot Museum and The Williamson Museum & Art Gallery, Liverpool
1st February to 13th April 2008

The 'Your Time' exhibition was a twin-centre event with concurrent displays of clocks at both the Prescot Museum and The Williamson Museum & Art Gallery, Birkenhead.

Coinciding with the Society's 2008 AGM, the exhibition also formed part of Liverpool's 'City of Culture 2008' celebrations.

Exhibits included Harrison's longcase clock No.1, Mudge Blue and Mudge Green, along with more than twenty other chronometers, mostly from private collections.

There was a large display of turret clocks and Liverpool longcase clocks. Additionally, there was a display of Lancashire Watch Company watches.

(Copies of this catalogue are still available from the AHS)

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