A fine and rare second quarter of the 19th century rosewood alarm timepiece


signed Gorham, Maker to the Queen, Kensington the moulded rectangular case with a signed one piece silvered 4" dial with outer minute track enclosing the Roman numerals and dotted alarm ring, blued steel moon hands for the time and a tapering hand for the alarm setting and angled sight ring, the movement with chain fusee to the going train terminating in a large gilt platform, the blued steel hairspring set in a diamond endstone in a double screwed chaton to a very heavy brass balance and an English lever escapement, the alarm train powered by a spring barrel and sounding at the desired time on a very long circular section blued steel gong mounted on a weighted bracket to the rear, the backplate signed James Gorham, Kensington, 27.5cm high
|James Gorham is recorded as working from circa 1820 to 1854 at 5, Kensington High Street, a short stroll from Kensington Palace, London home of the Duke of Sussex. Gorham supplied at least six clocks to the Duke, and these were sold by auction in 1834, their whereabouts are now unknown. Gorham also carried out repairs for the Duke, the Sussex Tompion famously bears his signature on the back of the dial. A mahogany regulator by him is illustrated in Royal Clocks by Jagger, plates 292 and 293. Like the current lot, it is of eight day duration and signed 'Gorham, MAKER TO THE QUEEN, Kensington'. Perhaps the most remarkable clock signed by him appeared at Christie's London 11 July 2003, lot 148. The clock shows mean and sidereal time and is set with terrestrial and celestial globes. It is fully documented in The Horological Journal, vol.LXXXVII, No.1058, November 1946, pp 466-67 by Dr. F.A.B. Ward, 'A Mean and Sidereal Time Clock'.