A 2026 Guide by Sellingantiques
Lantern Clock, 19th Century
Priced at £1,950 from Midwinter Antiques
These were the first domestic clocks widely used in England. They appeared in the early seventeenth century and brought mechanical timekeeping into the home.
Turn to regional towns by the eighteenth century. Production moved away from London as provincial makers adopted the lantern clock style for local clients.
Earlier forms relied on a balance wheel escapement. The introduction of the pendulum later changed how these kept time.
Most early examples only had a single hand. People tracked hours and quarters rather than exact minutes during this period.
Some hung freely on a simple iron hoop. Others rested on wooden wall brackets to keep the heavy driving weights clear of the wall.
Thomas Tompion made several of these during the late seventeenth century. His surviving pieces often feature early anchor escapements and high-quality castings.
Peter Closon worked in Holborn and cast many well-proportioned antique lantern clocks. His documented output spans the 1630s to the 1650s.
Provincial names like John Smorthwaite in Colchester supplied the local trade. Regional makers copied London designs but often retained older escapement styles longer.
Quarter Striking Twin Fusee Lantern Clock, 19th Century
Priced at £4,950 from Chalfont Clocks
The 2026 retail price guide for Antique Lantern Clocks is drawn from a proprietary archive of over 1.1 million retail prices indexed by Sellingantiques since 2003. This guide relies exclusively on their own internal data; no external sources or auction records are used.
Analysing nearly 25 years of UK antique market history alongside current retail values, the data indicates that typical UK retail prices for Antique Lantern Clocks range between £800 and £7,000. Entry-level prices generally fall under £800 and premium examples upwards of £7,000.
A large bell sits at the very top. This is held within a framework of intersecting brass straps known as a bell strap.
Engraved fretwork panels fill the upper sides. They mask the bell hammer and add visual height to an antique lantern clock.
Look at the chapter ring. It sits proud of the main dial plate and carries the Roman numerals for the hours.
Early makers pinned the frames together. Tapered iron pins slot through holes in the brass pillars to lock the top and bottom plates.
Cutting wheel teeth involved basic hand tools in the seventeenth century. Files and early dividing engines shaped the brass gear trains.
Notice the engraved dial centres on an antique lantern clock. Craftsmen cut these floral patterns by hand before filling the lines with black wax.
"Many were designed to function as alarm clocks. People hung them in bedchambers with a central setting disc to wake the household."
"They often found a second life in rural kitchens. When grander clocks took over the parlour, these robust brass boxes moved downstairs."
"Consider the side doors. They opened easily so owners could check the striking train without taking the heavy clock off its wall hook."
Based on almost 25 years of Sellingantiques UK antique market data, Antique Lantern Clocks appeared 204 times (out of 1,100,000 antiques) which gives it a rarity score of 96/100.
This score measures scarcity within the Sellingantiques archive only and is not a survey of the entire antiques market, so these statistics may not be indicative of the general availability of Antique Lantern Clocks elsewhere.
Most seventeenth-century people did not need to track minutes. Knowing the hour and roughly the quarter was enough for rural and domestic life.
Early clockwork also lacked the precision to make a minute hand worthwhile. A single hand circling a dial divided into quarters suited the balance wheel escapements of the period.
Most early antique lantern clocks began life with a balance wheel on top. When pendulum technology arrived in the middle of the seventeenth century, owners wanted better timekeeping.
Clockmakers routinely converted older examples. They removed the top balance and fitted a verge escapement with a short pendulum swinging freely behind the backplate.
You pull the ropes or chains downwards by hand. The mechanism uses a simple ratchet system where pulling the unweighted end raises the heavy driving weight back to the top.
There is no key involved. The weights hang directly below the clock and need pulling up every twelve or thirty hours depending on the internal gearing.
Dealers call those panels frets. They sit on the front and sides of the frame just below the bell.
Their main job is hiding the hammer and top wheels from view, keeping the outline neat. Makers cut them in patterns like crossed dolphins or floral scrolls, which often helps identify where the clock was made.
Please note: This Antique Lantern Clocks guide and its associated pricing data are provided for general informational purposes only. It does not constitute formal financial, investment, or appraisal advice and should not be relied upon as the sole basis for any commercial activity, purchasing, or sales decisions. Sellingantiques.co.uk accepts no liability for any actions taken in reliance on this information. Always consult with a qualified professional or independent appraiser.
