The mahogany veneered shop regulator marked ‘W H Allen’ was most likely purchased second-hand by Launceston clock and watchmaker William Allen, as the clock pre-dates William. According to the present owner, antique dealer Mr John Hawkins, it was probably made in Glasgow. The original maker’s name was removed from the dial, known by the tell-tale hammer marks behind the dial, then the new owner’s name was engraved on the dial.
Geraldine Archer purchased the regulator at some stage, and it formed part of her collection of Tasmanian furniture and artifacts. The clock was then sold in a joint auction with Armitage Auctions and Tullochs Auctions and purchased by a Hobart collector. Launceston business Clockwise restored the clock before being delivered to its new owner. It was sold again several years later in a Hobart auction and purchased by its present owner.
© Graham Mulligan 2022.
John Hawkins to Graham Mulligan,
Auction catalogue, The Estate of the late Dr Geraldine Archer Dame in order of St John, February 1993.
