About Wooden Clocks

Mankind has been telling time with the sun and the stars for centuries. The invention of the wooden clock gave rise to a more precise measurement of time. Since then, wooden clocks have taken on many different shapes and sizes. Wooden clocks are still appreciated as moving works of art.

Grandfather Clocks

Grandfather clocks, or long-case clocks, are large clocks that stand on the floor and rise to a height of five to eight feet. Invented in 1670, the grandfather clock was made of many kinds of wood, including oak, walnut and maple. They keep time with pendulum movement, and most grandfather clocks sound the time on the hour. The face of the clock, called the bonnet, is often very ornate with detailed scenes or highly stylized vinery.

Cuckoo Clocks

The first recorded mention of the cuckoo clock was in 1629, but the clock came to be associated with the Black Forest region of Germany. With animal and flora carvings, cuckoo clocks resemble ornate wooden bird houses. They traditionally hang on the wall, with the weights that keep the time dangling from the bottom. Cuckoo clocks are distinct for the little mechanized bird that pops out on the hour and half-hour, usually giving a “cuckoo” call.

Mantel Clocks

Also called shelf clocks, mantel clocks are enclosed in a wooden box that is meant to sit on a shelf or on the fireplace mantel. They were invented in the 1750s, and there are many different variations that developed due to geographic location or the style of the time. A balloon clock features a rounded face, similar to the outline of a hot-air balloon. A gothic shelf clock converges to an arched point at the top, reflecting the gothic arches in architecture. Ranging from simplistic to ornate, mantel clocks were popular timepieces for many years.

Gingerbread Clocks

While a form of a shelf clock, gingerbread clocks, or kitchen clocks, were made of oak or walnut in the late 1800s. The wood is ornately detailed into symmetrical swirls, stylized flowers and fleur-de-lis around the face of the clock. The short pendulums hang behind a glass door.