Clock with highly decorated round face and pendulum; J. Smith & Sons, Clerkenwell, ca. 1857-62.

Pendulum clock with two weights. Highly decorated faces depicting bearing the same design, executed by F.W. Moody, showing allegorical figures of Day in a chariot followed by a cloaked woman representing Night, with - below, the figure of Time, with his hour glass and scythe.

The escapement is on the principle of Graham's deadbeat, and the steel pads are made to slide in turned grooves, so as to set the pitch with the greatest exactness; they may be removed as they are secured by screws. The striking apparatus is on the repeating principle, which prevents the possibility of striking wrong hours - a fault so common to many clocks with locking plates. This turret clock which has been re-erected in its former position in the main entrance was originally bought by the Science and Art Department (later the Department of Education and Science) for the South Kensington Museum, (later the Victoria and Albert Museum).

A duplicate was made by the same firm for the London International Exhibition of 1862 - held on the site of the present day Natural History Museum - where it gained a prize award.