This is an old building. Bits are probably nearly 500 years old and possibly older. Unfortunately there are not many old relics of interest, apart from me. There is an old salt cupboard door dating from 1729 and a defunct, possibly 18th century long case clock. The salt cupboard door doesn't covet salt any more, in fact there is nothing but blank wall behind.
We were told that the clock was unlikely to be repairable with any sensible level of economy. It would have been nice but in business you have to have good reason to spend thousands of pounds. My brother, who has had more hobbies than Washy has pints in a night, and that's a few, has recently turned to clock restoration. He's taken the mechanism and has just emailed me with it's progress.
It ticks, apparently, has a 30 hour movement, according to his reckoning, and has every chance of becoming a fully working clock again.
I think the clock was bought by a wealthy Yeoman farming family called Vickers who ran this place when it was more farm than Ale House. The salt cupboard door was probably commissioned by the first Vickers here, John. The clock probably hasn't ticked for about 30 or more years. I've got a thing about clocks and success. Keep this one running and everything else will go like clockwork. Perhaps we'll gain a little bit of the Vickers success. Silly superstitious nonsense I know.
4 comments:
That is really lovely Dave. I once went to the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul and found a Washbourne clock. Does your clock have a case?
Interesting as clocks and salt cupboards are, surely the most ancient antique from the original furnishings and fittings is Alan?
Washy
great post, i like all these interesting posts about running a pub etc..I hope you get the clock working again!
If your salt cupboard door has a lock (and it looks like it had / has) it's probably a spice cupboard. They have a particularly good one at the Burgoyne at Urswick now used to house a human skull. The story goes that if anyone ever dare remove it, they'll be cursed to drink nothing but Robinsons until the day they die.
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