Our Antique Mantle Clock

My wife recently came home from a weekend away with a beautiful antique mantle clock. I must admit that at first I was a bit annoyed at her. It wasn't cheap. She bought it at a little antique shop she and some friends stumbled across while on a wine tasting weekend in South Australia. Apparently she had been looking for one for a while (which was news to me!) and this one just took her breath away.

Our Antique Mantle Clock

Now if you're a guy with little appreciation for anything much sophisticated like I was (I would have said 'I am' but as you'll discover in this blog I'm a changed man) you probably haven't ever heard of antique mantle clocks. Heck, I don't think I even knew what a mantle was (but I knew about clocks - don't get cheeky). I think not understanding something is a cause for a lot of misguided criticism in our world, which is a shame because it is really easy to learn about anything now because of the internet.

My understanding and patient (and sophisticated) wife was very good about my reaction and probably expected it. She took great pains to prepare a 'report' for me about antiques and mantle clocks and helped to educate me about why they were so appealing to her. It turns out her grandparents had died when she was very young but they had a beautiful collection of antiques they had collected and they were handed down through her family. She had particularly loved an antique mantle clock, but it had been given to another family member in the will. This particular clock (the one she bought) instantly reminded her of her late grandparents and helps her remember them.

Now, back to my timely education about antiques. The collecting of antiques is a worldwide phenomenon (perhaps you've heard of the great British 'Antiques Roadshow' or something of a similar vein). There are many reasons behind this movement, partly an effort to preserve history, partly a vain desire to possess something rare and valuable, partly the thrill of the chase and often simply because of great aesthetic appeal. I must admit, that having lived with our antique mantle clock now for the past few months I've come to appreciate the great quality workmanship behind it and the classic style that comes out of the effort put into its manufacture. 'They just don't make 'em like that anymore' may be a cliche, but it is true (hence the reason it's so cliche I suppose).

Anyway, this is just a quick introductory post for this antique mantle clock site but I intend to write a lot more and hope that it might help educate and inspire others as I have been.