The Exeter Cathedral Astronomical Clock is a fifteenth-century astronomical clock in Exeter Cathedral, England. It displays the hour of the day, the day of the lunar month and the phase of the moon. The modern clock mechanism was installed in 1885 by Gillett & Bland of Croydon, and restored in 1910.
The clock is thought to date from around 1484. [1]
The outermost numbered circle of the main dial is decorated with a fleur-de-lis which represents the Sun, and which orbits the dial once every 24 hours. [2] This indicates the hour of the day, counted from I to XII in Roman numerals in first the right and then the left hemispheres of the clockface. This is an example of a 24-hour analog dial. The tail of the Sun's fleur-de-lis points to the day in the lunar month on the inner numbered ring. [2] The half-black, half-silver Moon inside the lunar month ring rotates on its axis to show the correct phase of the moon. [2] The Earth is represented as a fixed golden ball in the centre of the dial. The Latin inscription "Pereunt et imputantur" below the main dial may be translated as "The hours pass and are reckoned to our account". [3]
A small bell located behind the clock dial chimes the quarter-hours. On the hour, this is followed by the striking of the Peter Bell in the tower above. [3]
In 1759 the smaller upper dial was added, with a single hand to indicate the minutes. [3]
The clock-room is behind the dial on the north wall of the transept, and still houses the clock mechanism. [4] Access is via a doorway visible in the stone wall directly beneath the clock. Legend suggests that the round hole cut in the bottom of the door was for the cathedral cat to gain entry to keep the clock clear of mice and rats. [5] The modern clock mechanism was installed in 1885 by Gillett & Bland of Croydon. [6]
The clock was restored in 1910 by John James Hall FRAS. [7]
The clock is reputed to be the source of the nursery rhyme Hickory Dickory Dock, probably inspired by the round hole in the door described above. [8] [9]
The Antikythera mechanism is an Ancient Greek hand-powered orrery, described as the oldest known example of an analogue computer used to predict astronomical positions and eclipses decades in advance. It could also be used to track the four-year cycle of athletic games similar to an Olympiad, the cycle of the ancient Olympic Games.
Exeter Cathedral, properly known as the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter in Exeter, is an Anglican cathedral, and the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, in the city of Exeter, Devon, in South West England. The present building was complete by about 1400 and has several notable features, including an early set of misericords, an astronomical clock and the longest uninterrupted medieval stone vaulted ceiling in the world.
The Prague astronomical clock or Prague Orloj is a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic.
An astronomical clock, horologium, or orloj is a clock with special mechanisms and dials to display astronomical information, such as the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, zodiacal constellations, and sometimes major planets.
Gillett & Johnston was a clockmaker and bell foundry based in Croydon, England from 1844 until 1957. Between 1844 and 1950, over 14,000 tower clocks were made at the works. The company's most successful and prominent period of activity as a bellfounder was in the 1920s and 1930s, when it was responsible for supplying many important bells and carillons for sites across Britain and around the world.
The Strasbourg astronomical clock is located in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame of Strasbourg, Alsace, France. It is the third clock on that spot and dates from the time of the first French possession of the city (1681–1870). The first clock had been built in the 14th century and the second in the 16th century when Strasbourg was a Free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire.
The Wells Cathedral clock is an astronomical clock in the north transept of Wells Cathedral, England. The clock is one of the group of famous 14th– to 16th–century astronomical clocks to be found in the West of England. The surviving mechanism, dated to between 1386 and 1392, was replaced in the 19th century, and was eventually moved to the Science Museum in London, where it continues to operate. The dial represents the geocentric view of the universe, with the Sun and Moon revolving round a central fixed Earth. It may be unique in showing a philosophical model of the pre-Copernican universe.
Hampton Court astronomical clock is a sixteenth-century astronomical clock in Hampton Court Palace in England.
Wimborne Minster astronomical clock is a fourteenth-century astronomical clock in Wimborne Minster in Dorset, regarded as "one of the most ancient working clocks in Europe."
Lund astronomical clock, occasionally and at least since the 16th century referred to as Horologium mirabile Lundense, is a 15th-century astronomical clock in Lund Cathedral. Mentioned in written sources for the first time in 1442, it was probably made and installed sometime around 1423–1425, possibly by Nikolaus Lilienfeld. It is part of a group of related medieval astronomical clocks found in the area around the south Baltic Sea. In 1837 the clock was dismantled. Between 1909 and 1923, it was restored by the Danish clockmaker Julius Bertram-Larsen and the Swedish architect responsible for the upkeep of the cathedral, Theodor Wåhlin. From the old clock, the face of the clock as well as the mechanism, which was largely replaced during the 18th century, was salvaged and re-used. The casing, most parts of the calendar which occupies the lower part, and the middle section were made anew.
The Gdańsk astronomical clock is a fifteenth-century astronomical clock in St. Mary's Church, Gdańsk, Poland.
Ottery St Mary Astronomical Clock is a 14th-century astronomical clock in St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, in Devon in south-west England.
The Gros-Horloge is a 14th century astronomical clock in Rouen, Normandy.
The 14th-century Norwich Cathedral astronomical clock was the earliest example of a large clock with automata in England, and the first to possess an astronomical dial. It replaced an earlier 13th-century "old clock", one of the earliest weight-driven mechanical timekeepers made in England.
The astronomical clock of Messina is an astronomical clock constructed by the Ungerer Company of Strasbourg in 1933. It is built into the campanile of Messina Cathedral.
The Torre dell'Orologio is a 15th-century renaissance tower on the Piazza delle Erbe in Mantua, Italy. It is attached to the Palazzo della Ragione, and next to the Rotonda di San Lorenzo. It houses an astronomical clock.
A computus clock is a clock equipped with a mechanism that automatically calculates and displays, or helps determine, the date of Easter. A computus watch carries out the same function.
The Sion astronomical clock is an astronomical clock at the town hall of Sion in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The clock was first installed in 1667–68; the present mechanism dates from 1902.
The Münster astronomical clock is an astronomical clock in Münster Cathedral in Münster, Germany.
The Bourges astronomical clock is an astronomical clock in Bourges Cathedral in Bourges, France.
50°43′23″N3°31′50″W / 50.723°N 3.5305°W
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