A VICTORIAN FIGURED WALNUT EIGHT-DAY LONGCASE REGULATORLEWIS...

Estimate

£3,000 - £4,000

A VICTORIAN FIGURED WALNUT EIGHT-DAY LONGCASE REGULATORLEWIS, RAMSGATE AND MARGATE, MID 19th CENTURYThe substantial six tapered baluster pillar movement with thick plates measuring 9 by 6.5 inches cut with channels for dust shutters to the edges, enclosing a four wheel train with Harrison's maintaining power, six-spoke wheel crossings, high pinion count and screw depth adjustment to the pivots terminating with a Graham-type deadbeat escapement incorporating jewelled pallets, regulated by large lenticular bob wood-rod pendulum with T-bar suspension, fine beat adjustment to crutch and calibrated rating nut, the 11.5 inch circular silvered brass dial engraved LEWIS above subsidiary seconds and Ramsgate &, Margate over conforming Roman numeral hour dial to centre, within outer minute ring incorporating Arabic five minute annotations, with blued steel hands, the arched case with full-height bevel-glazed door fitted with a canted silvered bezel for the dial and finely carved foliate scroll apron beneath to interior, the backboard applied with silvered beat scale beneath the pendulum and the right hand side of the trunk with movement access door inset with a brass grille fret, on panel fronted plinth base with cavetto top moulding and small squab feet.198cm (78ins) high, 49cm (19.25ins) wide, 30.5cm (12ins) deep.A clockmaker with the surname Lewis does not appear in the usual sources as working out of Ramsgate or Margate during the 19th century, however clocks retail-signed for J. Lewis of Ramsgate and/or Margate are known. This would suggest that J. Lewis may have been a firm of retail jewellers, watchmakers and clockmakers with branches in both of these nearby towns and that the present lot was their 'shop regulator'.