Gordon Russell Grandfather Clock
Price on Application
This item is price on application due to its rarity and importance.
1920-1929
About this piece
Designed by Gordon Russell and made at the Russell Workshops, this longcase clock in English brown oak aligns to the Arts and Crafts movement (c.1880 to c.1930), 1927.*
The case is tall, narrow and architectural, with a quiet strength typical of Russell’s better interwar work. The lower plinth is stepped and chamfered at the front corners, rising into a long panelled door framed by vertical stiles and restrained moulded edges. The door has a gently arched upper rail, giving a softer rhythm to an otherwise clean rectilinear case.
Above, the hood is formed with sloping shoulders and a shaped crest, the circular dial set within a simple brass bezel. The front panel around the dial is arranged with angled grain, giving the clock face a composed cabinetmaker’s frame.
The dial is signed “The Russell Workshops, Broadway, Worcs” and has Roman numerals, a minute track and a subsidiary seconds dial.** The centre is engraved with stylised flowering stems and leaves, giving the clock a delicate decorative focus against the plain oak case. The clock has four chime settings, including “Westminster,” “Whittington,” “Chime,” and “Silent.”
The movement is housed behind the dial with brass-coloured wheelwork, chime rods, pulleys and cylindrical weights. An additional paper label to the back reads “Barnby, Bendall & Co. Ltd., Depository, Cheltenham,” with the handwritten reference “Wakeman 221.”***
References / Provenance
* Original Gordon Russell paper label to the back records: design number 27, by Gordon Russell, foreman Edgar Turner, cabinet maker F. Shilton, metal worker A. Fry, timber used English brown oak, 18.10.1927.
** Dial signed: “The Russell Workshops, Broadway, Worcs.”
*** Additional paper label to the back reads: “Barnby, Bendall & Co. Ltd., Depository, Cheltenham,” with handwritten reference “Wakeman 221.”
