About Wood Clocks
Clocks have been helping mankind to mark the passage of time for centuries. Wood clocks were the first examples of the modern clock that can be found on walls all over the world today. Wood clocks come in many sizes and forms, depending on the style or architecture of the day. Wooden clocks are still popular time pieces.
Shelf Clocks
Shelf clocks, also called mantel clocks, keep time while sitting on a shelf or fireplace mantel. They are generally around one to two feet in height, and they employ a variety of time-keeping technologies. Almost an art form, there are many different types and styles of shelf clocks. Mission-style shelf clocks have little adornment and the simple lines that defined the Mission-style movement. Gothic clocks resemble the pointed arch that was a popular design in Gothic architecture. Gingerbread kitchen clocks are ornately carved wooden clocks that were inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement.
Longcase Clocks
Also called Grandfather clocks, long-case clocks sit on the floor and rise to a height of up to eight feet. They keep time with long pendulums enclosed in the clock’s case. Created in 1670, current longcase clocks still retain the original elements of an ornamental hood, an hourly chime and a stately presence.
Wall Clocks
Wall clocks are similar to shelf clocks in that there are so many different shapes and styles that matched the decorating style of the day. Vienna-styled wall clocks were wooden works of art created in Austria in the early 1800s. Hanging on the wall, a wall clock has a case for the pendulum and clock face. The wood around the case is carved in symmetrical spindles.
Cuckoo Clock
A type of wall clock, cuckoo clocks are among the most distinct wood clocks in the world. Their craftsmanship began in Germany in the 1600s, and the modern cuckoo clock contains the same classic elements: a house decorated in carved animals, flowers and natural scenes hiding a tiny mechanized bird that pops out every hour to make the sound that gives the clock its name.