Brian Loomes, in addition to running a specialist antiques business in Pateley Bridge, Yorkshire, has so many titles to his credit that one begins to wonder if he is a syndicate. How many Brian Loomes are there? True, he has the help of his wife in the Pateley Bridge business, and he has also had her assistance in the preparation of his books, though the blurb informs us that all his works are based on personal research and he has the reputation of an author who thinks for himself.
He has now produced 16 books on different aspects of horology, to say nothing of a book entitled Bird Gardening, and another on genealogical research. He specialises in British clocks, but he has also written even more specifically on Lancashire clocks and clockmakers, as well as those from Westmorland and Yorkshire. White dial clocks and painted dial clocks have previously claimed his attention, but now he has produced this lavish volume specifically devoted to brass dial clocks.
The volume is copiously illustrated, though only a minority of these are in colour. Loomes apologises for this by saying that most of the photographs were taken by himself and his son, and were processed by his wife from poor negatives. He need not worry. Although a few are dusky, the general quality of the illustrations and the diagrams is good. The brass dial period of British and American clocks is from about 1660 to 1800, and the author covers this in great detail. The writing is very explicit, and will be found acceptable by both experts and newcomers to the field. The 16 chapters deal with early longcase clocks in London and the provinces, eight‐day and 30‐hour clocks, and there are separate chapters covering Scotland, Ireland and America. Chapter 15 gives hints on what to look for in deciding whether or not a clock is genuine, and a final and very useful chapter presents case studies of early provincial makers. London influence waxed and waned over the years, but Lancashire turned out some fine examples of clocks and clockmakers, and the influence of that county spread over to Cheshire, Cumberland and Westmorland. Ancillary material provided by Brian Loomes in this fine volume includes a select reading list and an appendix which he calls “The A Team”. Arranged alphabetically by English counties, followed by entries headed Wales, Scotland, Ireland and America, this list summarises the outstanding clockmakers of the 17th and 18th centuries together with their dates, and the towns where they worked.
The author and his aides have obviously taken great pains over this book, which is another credit to its publishers, the Antique Collectors Club of Woodbridge.
