Thomas Hill, Fleet Street, London

SOLD

A good George III mahogany longcase clock. Circa 1780

Case

Figured mahogany break arch hood with fine mouldings, surmounted by a waisted pedestal and brass ball finial. The hood and trunk with stop fluted, reeded and canted corners. The break arch trunk door with flame veneer matching the raised panel to the base, on a double plinth.

Dial

12 inch break arch brass dial with silvered subsidiary strike/silent dial to the arch flanked by dolphin spandrels. Finely matted centre with large day of the month calendar aperture and large subsidiary seconds dial. Silvered chapter ring signed Thomas Hill, Fleet Street, London with Roman and Arabic numerals. Blued steel hands.

Movement

Eight day movement with five pillars to the plates, original anchor escapement and striking the hours on a bell.

Height 7 ft (213 cm)

Thomas Hill is listed as working in Devonshire Street in 1749 and Fleet Street in 1762.

This flame mahogany longcase clock is very much in the style of Thomas Mudge’s design, having a hood with no pillars and a single finial mounted on a base. In the mid 1740's Thomas Mudge had generated a completely new style of case design for his longcase clocks. The new pillarless cases of refined and classical proportions were soon taken up by many other clockmakers, initially by those also around Fleet Street as in this example by Thomas Hill.