Retired clergy and spouses tea

Bishop Claude Miller and his wife Sharon recently entertained retired clergy of the diocese and their spouses/widows at Bishop’s Court. The afternoon tea on Sunday, Sept. 11, was well attended and enjoyed. It also introduced the latest antique, a long-case clock (sometimes called a tall-case clock), made in London, England in about 1770.

Clock

“It is a traditional eight-day long-case movement and features one of the very last brass-faced dials,” says Tim Ross, a Fredericton engineer and antique clock expert who cleaned and oiled its works and made a new pendulum. He regularly does this kind of work for Kings Landing as well.

“White dials appeared about 1772 and put brass out of business. Not only were they cheaper to produce, they were easier to see in the poor lighting conditions of the time,” he continues.

The day of the retired clergy tea, however, only the case was in place in the foyer at Bishop’s Court, Mr. Ross was still testing the works. The Rev. Les Petrie, a guest of the tea, offered to put his wrist watch in the case until the face and works were installed.

The pagoda style case features Chinese lacquer and symbols. “It was made in London and probably shipped to China for decoration,” says Mr. Ross. “These clocks were luxury, handmade items available only to the very wealthy.”

It boasts a half-hour strike, which is unusual for the type, most only struck on the hour. It also, thankfully, has a silencing mechanism. “When it strikes it sounds like someone hitting a saucepan with a spoon,” says Mr. Ross. “If it isn’t silenced, it must be placed a long way from the bedroom. Clocks with more melodious chimes were even more expensive.”

These clocks keep good time and run for centuries but the condition of the case hasn’t enjoyed the same kind of longevity. The lacquer is chipped and broken, revealing the oak beneath. The Chinese decorations on the case are barely discernible, but according to antique expert and appraiser Tim Isaac, no attempt should be made to refinish the piece.

Over the past year several fine antiques have been collected for a permanent collection at Bishop’s Court and guests at the tea were encouraged to tour the house and admire them all.

Diocesan Communications
27 September 2005