An important Gothic Revival oak bracket clock from Middlesex Guildhall

SOLD back to The Middlesex Guildhall and now sit's where it was originaly designed to sit, in Court Room Three the most spectacular of the three court rooms. An important Gothic Revival oak bracket clock from Middlesex Guildhall, in Parliament Square London which now houses The Supreme High Court, the highest court in the country and has a rich legal history that is evident in its design and decoration. The clock was probably designed by Henry Charles Fehr and carved by H H Richardson. It is from courtroom three the grandest of them all which is written on it's original removal ticket, that is still attached to the top of the clock. At the time of construction the choice of a neo-gothic style was unusual, but the well-known critic Nikolaus Pevsner classified it as a very free interpretation of Gothic, with an almost art nouveau flavour, especially to the sculptures to the exterior. The Guildhall was designed by Scottish architect James Glen Silvewright Gibson, (1864 – 1951), the building is situated opposite the Houses of Parliament. And flanked by the Treasury and Westminster Abbey. Gibson demonstrated a modern approach to his design by “keeping it quite distinct in scale and style so as to preserve its own individuality". The Supreme Court building stands on the western edge of Thorney Island and was originally part of the sanctuary grounds of Westminster Abbey. *****Two points of similar Information below that I have located relating to HH Martyn :- H.H. Martyn (1906--25) Firm of sculptors, carvers and modellers producing architectural sculpture, metalwork and ornamental plasterwork, with reproductions of Grinling Gibbons’ carving a speciality. Founded in London, the company also had studios in Cheltenham, Birmingham and Glasgow. Source: McKenzie, R., Public Sculpture of Glasgow, Liverpool, 2002, p.491. [SBC2005] H.H. Martyn and Co. Ltd (fl.1906--25) Their Glasgow studio opened in 1909 and operated from a variety of premises (including 30 George Square and 93 West George Street) until 1925. They provided metalwork for the former Union Bank, 110--20 St Vincent Street (1924--7). Sources: AA, 1906; POD, 1909--25. [G2002] *****More information relating to the clocks provenance*****. Lord Chancellor's Department: Assets of Cultural Significance Lord Freyberg asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Mr Wills on 9 November 2001 (HC Deb, 487W) whether they will give full details of the 484 antiques and 78 paintings held by the Lord Chancellor's Department.[HL3858] The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The two tables below provide details of the 484 operational (e.g. desks, tables, chairs) and 78 non-operational (e.g. paintings, sculptures) antiques and works of art situated throughout the country in buildings within the Lord Chancellor's Department estate as reported to Parliament on 9 November. The reported value for operational antiques of £1,405,062.65 has since been adjusted to £954,851.04. This is mainly due to the reclassification of several high value items as fixtures and technical bookkeeping adjustments. NOTE : The entry below is taken from the above document. Middlesex Guildhall Victorian carved oak bracket clock, sq silvered dial sig'd 'Martyn', in a sq case.. NOTE : THE INVENTORY FROM THE ARCHITECTURAL ACADEMY ARCHIVE, LISTS H H MARTYN and Co AS EMPLOYED ON THE MIDDLESEX GUILDHALL :- SCULPTURE WORK. PLASTER AND CARVING H. H. MARTYN and Co., LTD. Cheltenham...