Medieval Clock

I received this postcard from friends Shaula and Darrin who are currently on a six month trip to the United Kingdom.

Before leaving, they had a going away party and asked for opinions on what to see and do. I told them my favorite day trip when I visited in 2000 was Salisbury, because Stonehenge is nearby, the Salisbury Cathedral has a very legible original copy of the Magna Carta, and the Cathedral also has a medieval clock.

I was fascinated by the clock. It has no face, no hour or minute hand - it only chimes once on the hour. As I remember, the clock was only accurate to within a few seconds or a minute. But, this clock has been continuously running since the 14th century, except for brief periods of maintenance! This is the oldest functioning mechanical clock in the world.

Medieval Clock


Since I went on and on about the clock it is fitting they sent me a postcard of it. This is great actually, this postcard is better than the pictures I took of the clock.

Speaking of timekeeping, I read Longitude a few years before my 2000 trip. The book described the competition to create an accurate method of determining longitude, particularly while at sea. John Harrison did it through sheer genius by inventing clocks that worked properly on boats. I was thrilled to see some of his Harrison clocks on display in Greenwich!