Longcase clock
From Free net encyclopedia
A longcase clock, also grandfather clock or floor clock, is a freestanding pendulum clock with the pendulum held inside its own tower, commonly around 1.8-2.4m (6-8 feet) tall. The tower often features elaborately carved wood at the head, surrounding the clock face. The English clockmaker William Clement is credited with the development of this form in 1670. Most longcase clocks are striking clocks.
A variation of this clock is the grandmother clock, which has a smaller case.
How longcase clocks came to be known as "grandfather clocks"
During the 19th century at the George Hotel in Piercebridge, County Durham, England, one of the managers — two brothers named Jenkins — died. According to the story told to Henry Clay Work in 1875, the clock began to lose time. Repair attempts were made, but failed. When the other brother died at the age of 90, the clock stopped running altogether, and was never repaired in remembrance of the brothers.
Work decided to write a song about the story of this clock, which he called "My Grandfather's Clock". The song became popular, and it is from this song that the current usage derives. [1]