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Most of the clocks within the museum are rare and unique, and combine a number of ingenious methods of time telling. The museum also hosts a range of Cuckoo & Quail clocks, Trumpeter clocks and other associated musical movements, which will play at intervals throughout your visit, all of which are varying in age and history.
This particular clockmaking craft evolved in the
Black Forest region of Central Europe over 300 years ago, responding to
the need to sustain the income of rural workers subjected to the immobility’s
of the harsh cold winters of the region.
Natural materials, a product of the forests, were used and over the centuries
the skills evolved from that of a cottage craft to those of a production
industry. Different craft specialisations were created to satisfy popularity
and innovation.
The Cuckoo sound being easy to produce since the
bird was identifiable with woodland, and the Bellowsmaker developed the
sound by including two small bellows of goat-kid skin that blew into two
small flutes. Other craft specialists fashioned the hands and numerals
using bone or antler, whilst others concentrated on the casework and elaborate
representative carvings using hard and soft woods in combination.
Note should be taken of the mechanisms themselves. Seasoned Beech, providing
stability, was used for the movement support plates in earlier examples,
as it was for many of the moving parts since metal for cogs, wheels and
springs was not readily available. The clocks were produced at low cost,
but this did not prevent a real measure of accuracy and craftsmanship
from being built in, and most were driven by weights. Springs were introduced
during the mid 19th Century as the clocks became more elaborate and included
complex musical movements sounding a variety of popular tunes.
cuckoolanduk.net