On Carl’s encouragement, I contacted the Public Library of Manchester England. I wrote in hopes of finding some information about “Arnold & Lewis”, the manufacturers of my tower clock. In my note, I wrote …

I am in the process of restoring a turret clock originally manufactured by “Arnold & Lewis, Manchester, England”. I’ve been told it is circa 1880. Beyond that, I know nothing of the clock or the manufacturer.

A Friend of mine, expatriated from England, suggested I contact the public library in Manchester in the hopes of finding some additional information.

I am very curious about this clock as it appears to have been something of an “experiment” by the manufacture with many things changed or moved about in an attempt to either make it fit its intended building or to improve it function.

Any materials or suggestions you might have would be greatly appreciated.

Today, I received a reply. The library has a reasonable “research policy”. All the same, they did some investigation on my behalf. They wrote back …

I’m afraid I have not traced any information on this company listed in any of our catalogues or indexes. I did manage to come across them in a trade directory for Manchester from 1881, but being a directory, this lists only basic information:

Arnold and Lewis (successors to I. Simmons) goldsmiths, jewelers, silversmiths, chronometer watch and clock makers, electroplate manufacturers and diamond merchants, 7 St. Ann’s Square

There is no mention of the firm in Brian Loomes ‘Lancashire Clocks and Clockmakers, a standard work on the subject, nor in any other book on clockmakers that I checked. Loomes does indicate that he does not consider most firms after the 1860s to be genuine clockmakers, as most clocks by that stage were being imported from either London or abroad.

I’m sorry but this is the only information I’ve been able to come up with, and we are not able to undertake any detailed research for enquiries (see our ‘Research Policy’ as given on our website).

Rob Lewis
Manchester Information Co-ordinator
Manchester Archives and Local Studies
Central Library
St Peter’s Square
Manchester M2 5PD
web address: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/libraries/arls

While less information that I had hoped, it is right in line with my suspicions.

From what little I have found from my own research, I speculate that Arnold & Lewis made very few tower clocks. Their business venture  lasted from 1873 until 1910. The horologic indices of the time list them individually and together as manufacturing watches and time keepers.

Their turret clock works are accurate time pieces but at the same time are very basic and mostly a reworking of the typical ’state of the art’ for the time period. I have seen only one other picture of a turret clock by this manufacturer and it was an improved layout. This leads me to believe my clock is an early “experiment” on their behalf.

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