The 7-day clock located in the reception area has been completely repaired recently and is now functioning perfectly, chiming at the top of every hour.

The person who restored the clock has done some research on its history and artwork which he kindly shared with us. Please see below:

Both case and dial are typically Scottish the tall flat-topped hood particular to the west coast. The case is a refined regency style of mahogany stained figured maple. The painted dial unusually has its centre stripped and glided at a later date, loosing and trace of clockmaker name and place.

The painted scenes commemorate Napoleonic war heroes, including Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, Sir William Sidney Smith, Admiral Adam Duncan and Admiral John Jervis (Earl ST Vincent).

Although the case is contemporary with the culmination of the Napoleonic wars, the dial suggests closer to mid-century.

The arch likely portrays a scene from the Battle of Waterloo. Possibly depicting the wounding of the Duke of Wellington’s Scottish aide-de-camp Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Alexander Gordon. He was injured on the battlefield and died shortly after, prompting Wellington to emotionally exclaim “Well, thank God, I don’t know what it is to lose a battle; but certainly nothing can be more painful than to gain one with the loss of so many of one’s friends”.

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