Tymperleys Clock Museum, Colchester

Colchester’s smallest museum owes everything to the patronage of local businessman Bernard Mason. Not only did he bring together one of Britain’s largest collection of clocks, he was also responsible for buying and restoring the museum site (Tymperleys) itself.

The Mason collection of Colchester clocks totals 217 in all, every single one assembled and built to order locally between 1640 and 1840. The museum has over 40 on display, a fitting tribute to the generations of skilled clock makers who plied their trade in the town.

Because each clock was built to the buyer’s specifications, they give a unique insight into the town’s history and prevailing tastes of the time (oriental designs crop up frequently). There are examples of longcase, lantern, mantel and turret clocks, including one clock assembled in 1706 by Jane Spurgin, a rare example of a female clock maker.

Tymperleys is worth a visit on its own merit: step through the archway off Trinity Street and it’s like entering a different world. The museum is the sole surviving wing of a much larger house first built in 1500, and the courtyard garden is an oasis of calm in the busy town centre.

Tymperleys was the childhood home of William Gilbert (1544–1603), the acclaimed physicist, natural philosopher and personal physician to Elizabeth I. Both his personal history and that of Tymperleys itself are also featured in the museum.

One bonus feature is the old Mulberry tree at the back of the garden. This was planted in the late 1600s and coincides with the arrival of Huguenot merchants in Colchester, who successfully added their silk weaving skills to the local textile industry. 

Don’t miss: the bannister regulator (1836). Look out for the mercury-weighted pendulum that is part of its patented design.

Nick Peers