Clocktime: The Olivewood Tompion Table Clock c1673, 01 Who was Thomas Tompion

Thomas Tompion - Olivewood Tompion architectural turntable-base tic-tac escapement table clock.
Join Dr John C Taylor OBE from the Clocktime digital museum as he discusses clockmaker Thomas Tompion.
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So, this is a Tompion clock and why is it important? Well, Tompion became the most famous of all the London clockmakers in the early days of horology. Tompion was born in a little village just outside Northill in Northamptonshire in 1639 and he turned up in London, the most amazing period of London's history. In 1665, you had another wave of Plague came into London and 1666 you had the Great Fire and around about that period the Plague started to die down and all sorts of workmen were encouraged to come and work in London to repair London because something like a third of all the inhabitants died in the Plague and about a third of all the buildings were destroyed in the fire. So, it was a very, very turbulent period of London's history and in that turbulent period, just after it, this wonderful clock appears and Tompion is spotted by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers, the guild responsible for the clockmakers and he's dragged before the court and has to join as a great clockmaker. Now a great clockmaker means a tower clockmaker and so it's probable that he was making a clock for one of the new Wren churches which were starting to be restored at this time. Then somebody asked him for a clock and this is what they got. Isn't it wonderful?