| In Cambridge we've got a clock called the Chronophage which is intended to be a sinister "eater of time" - the designer has done a good job of making it feel uncomfortable to look at. There's some detail here: https://www.corpus.cam.ac.uk/articles/secrets-corpus-clock My memories of what I've heard over time: * The grasshopper escapement actually is the demonic insect that sits on the top, "walking" around the serrated ring. * Although it's backlit electronically it's actually a fully mechanical design - including all of the weird things it does. * The Chronophage itself blinks its eyes unnervingly. * It sometimes pauses or ticks slightly backwards, then runs faster to catch up again. * On certain special dates it does extra weird stuff. * The "chime" is a metal chain dropping into a box. There were three made in the series, this was the first one. I've always found it slightly unappealing aesthetically but also compelling - there's no arguing with the fact that there's always a crowd of fascinated observers looking at it. |
Until recently there was one in the wall of a bar in Douglas here on the Isle of Man. Apparently, the inventor of the thing lives here. Another is in his home.
However that bar, the rather rough 1886, is now the Island's first Wetherspoons... :-/