BHI Museum and Library
At our Upton Hall headquarters, the British Horological Institute has facilities to enable members to see examples of most types of clock and watch from around the world, and to research almost any topic in horology.
For a brief history of the Hall, please follow this link. |
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Library
The library at present contains nearly 5000 volumes in a variety of Languages, and is widely acknowledged to be one of the best sources of horological information in the world. As a BHI member, you can use the library without charge. If you cannot visit in person, the librarian can often carry out the research on your behalf, for a small fee.
If you are a member and would like some research done on your behalf, contact us - have your membership number ready, please.
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Museum
| The museum has been in existence since the Institute was first formed and members have continued to donate interesting items to the collection. Over the years the collection has grown to quite large proportions. In 1990 it was reorganised, and the museum became registered with the Museum & Galleries Commission. |
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Although we would like to be able to open the museum on a regular basis for members of the public to be able to view the wide range of clocks, watches, tools and other horological artifacts on display, the cost of doing so is prohibitive. As a consequence, the museum is open to members only during office hours by prior arrangement. |
Group Visits
Group Visits We will be pleased to arrange a visit for your group of 10 - 50 people. Please contact us to check prices, availability of dates or for a booking form. The tour takes one-and-a-half to two hours, and features a talk by a knowledgable guide, and a tour of the hall and its exhibits. Tours can be tailored to focus on the clocks and watches, or the history of the house.
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BHI Members: contact us to arrange access to the museum for study or research during opening and office hours. |
The Collection
The BHI museum contains one of the largest horological collections in the UK. It has been assembled over 150 years and continues to grow as more artefacts are donated or bequeathed every year. Similarly, the library is perhaps the largest and most comprehensive repository of horological literature anywhere in the world.
The museum collection is set out over six large rooms and adjoining corridors. The earliest clock is a continental table clock of c.1640 . However, Upton Hall is most noted for the many English longcase and regulator clocks beginning with a fine example of the work of Joseph Knibb of London of around 1670 and coming right up to a recent grandfather by Elliot. Other timepieces include unusual skeleton clocks and a musical bracket clock. The sounding of the hour at 12 o clock is not to be missed.
The museum also displays a large number of watches from the 17th to the late 20th century. Among the most famous is the watch that was taken from the body of Captain Scott in the Antarctic nine months after his death. The more recent development of the electronic and quartz watch is also well explained. A recently made Russian chronometer completes a display of marine timekeeping that begins at the beginning of the 19th century.
A fascinating development in timekeeping during the 20th century came with the introduction of electrical control and the Institute houses what must be the largest collection of electric master clocks on public display anywhere in Britain. The rarest of these timekeepers is the famous Shortt Free Pendulum. Once found only in observatories throughout the world, only one hundred of these high precision instruments were made and the Institute boasts three examples on display. Other highlights of the gallery are the first two Speaking Clocks and the Greenwich Time Service machine that generated the highly accurate “six pips” on BBC radio.
Finally, there are several examples of the art of the turret clockmaker, large clock mechanisms from the inner recesses of public buildings that are rarely seen by any but the clock winder.
Clocks - a selection of images from our clock collection
A mantel clock with visible Brocot escapement |
Jaeger le-Coultre's Atmos clock, powered by changes in barometric pressure |
The display of clocks in the Drawing Room at Upton Hall |
A lantern clock in unusual wall-mounted case |
A group of domestic clocks |
Mantel clock, with a reflected World Time Clock showing in the mirror above |
A group of regulators and bracket clocks, with the BHI Millennium Clock in the centre |
Musical longcase clock, flanked by two 17th Century longcase clocks |
Regulator timepiece made by RN Pickering |
An enormous weight-driven wall clock from a swimming pool |
A water meter clock |
Detail of a giant wooden clock |
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Watches - a selection of images from our watch collection
The 'tuning fork' of the Bulova Accutron mechanism |
A Second World War deck watch |
Early wristwatches |
Model of the Daniels Co-axial Escapement (left)
alongside a conventional Swiss Lever Escapement
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Marine chronometer |
Roamer watch mechanism |
Smiths automatic watch mechanism |
A display in our Watch Gallery |
Bust of Breguet in our Watch Gallery |
Display showing differing watch sizes |
Watch timing machines in our Tool Gallery |
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Turret Clocks - a selection of images from our turret clock section
Very early wooden posted frame turret clock (1686) |
Chair framed turret clock |
Scaled reproduction of an early turret clock |
Turret clock |
Turret clock (originally from the Courtaulds building in Nuneaton) |
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Electrical Horology - a selection of images from our electrical horology collection
 
Early electric watches |
The development of the electronic watch |
The Greenwich Time Service including the 'six pips' generator fro BBC radio |
A Shortt Free Pendulum astronomical clock |
The Post Office Speaking Clock No2 |
 
Synchronomes and other electric master clock systems
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Other Horological Collections in the UK
If you are travelling around Britain there are several Horological collections open to the public. The following places have collections of Horological interest. Where possible, contact phone numbers and times of opening are shown, but please check with the museum itself (not the BHI) before making a special journey.
North England & Scotland
World Museum |
William Brown Street, Liverpool, L3 8EN
0151 207 0001
www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk |
Royal Museum of Scotland |
Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF
0131 225 7534 |
Speke Hall |
Speke Hall, Liverpool |
West England & Wales
Anglesey Abbey - Lord Fairhaven's clock colection |
Quy Rd, Lode, Cambridge CB5 9EJ
01223 810080
angleseyabbey@nationaltrust.org.uk |
Birmingham City Museum & Art gallery |
Dept of Science & Industry, New Hall Street, Birmingham, B3 1RZ
0121 235 1661 |
Lyme Hall - Leigh Clock collection |
Lyme Park, Stockport, Cheshire |
Museum of the History of Science |
Old Ashmolean Building, Broad Street, Oxford, OX1 3AZ
01865 277280 |
Tabley Cuckoo Clock Collection |
Chester Road, Nether Tabley, Cheshire, WA16 0HL
01565 633039 |
East England
BHI Museum |
Upton Hall, Upton, Newark Notts, NG23 5TE
01636 813795 |
Bridewell Museum of Norwich Trades & Industries & Rural Crafts |
Bridewell Alley, ST Andrews Street, Norwich, NR2 1AQ
01603 667228 |
Colchester & Essex Museum (Castle Museum) |
The Castle, Colchester. CO1 1TJ
01206 712931 |
Fitzwilliam Museum |
Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RB
01223 332900 |
Ipswich Museums & Art galleries |
High Street, Ipswich, Suffolk. HP1 3QH |
Museum of Domestic life |
Christchurch Mansion, Christchurch Park, Soane Street, Ipswich, Suffolk. IP4 2BE
01473 213761 |
Waddesdon Manor |
Waddesdon, Aylesbury, Bucks. HP18 0JH
01296 651211 |
Whipple Museum of the History of Science |
Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RH
01223 334540 |
South England
Barometer World |
Quicksilver Barn, Merton, Oakehampton, Devon, EX20 3DS
01805 603443 |
Belmont - Lord Harris Collection |
Belmont Park, Throwley, Faversham, Kent. ME13 0HH
01795 890202
Open from Easter Sunday until End of September at weekends and Bank Holidays, 2-5pm |
Dorset Collection of clocks.
Collection of clocks by Dorset makers. |
Owermoigne, Nr Dorchester, Dorset. DT2 8HZ
01305 852220
Open April-October 10am - 5pm Monday-Saturday
November - March 10am - 4pm Tues to Sunday.
To find the museum, follow the signs to the Cider Museum |
Willis Museum |
Old Town hall, Market Square, Basingstoke, RG21 1QD
01256 465902 |
London
British Museum |
Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG
020 7323 8395
Collection of clocks and watches on public display. |
Museum of London |
London Wall, Barbican, London, EC2Y 5HN
020 7600 3699
Over 100 pocket watches |
National Maritime Museum |
Old Observatory, Greenwich, London, SE10 9NF
020 8858 4422 |
National Museum of Science and Industry |
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD
020 7938 8000 |
Sir John Soane's Museum |
13 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, WC2A 3BP
020 7405 2107 |
Victoria & Albert Museum |
Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2 RL
020 7938 8324 |
Wallace Collection |
Hertford House, Manchester Square, London, W1M 6BN
020 7935 0687 |
Worshipful Company of Clockmaker's Collection |
The Clock Room, Guildhall library, Aldermanbury, London, EC2P 2EJ
Open 9am - 5pm Mon-Fri. |
