Kenny Brings…A Gift!
So, I got an email from Kenny: “I have a gift that you might like for the parlor.”
Oh!
I met Kenny last year when he came by from Kansas City for a tour of the Cross House. We have been in touch a bit since and I looked forward to seeing Kenny again, gifts notwithstanding.
Today, as he walked towards me, he handed me a large box. “Are there puppies inside?” I asked.
Stepping into the house, I opened the box…and was astonished.
Wanna see Kenny’s gift?
Scroll way down…
Kenny brought a clock! A fabulous clock!
In a previous post I wondered what I should put on the parlor mantel. Brendan wrote in, suggestion a mantel clock. Such a thought had never occurred to me, but I instantly realized the perfection of the idea. Then Nathan wrote in with numerous clock suggestions, and all at once I went from knowing zip about late 19th-century clocks to knowing a tiny bit.
And the clock works! And chimes! How did I ever think to live in a silent house???????? OF COURSE the rooms of the house (and the eight mantels) should tick-tock and chime! Of course!
Nathan mentioned that this style clock, often referred to as a “temple clock”, was highly popular during the late 19th-century, but was “a bit old fashioned by the 1890s.” If Susan and Harrison Cross owned such a clock in their previous home, they likely would have brought to their new home.
Just lovely.
Kenny said he purchased the clock many many years ago in Emporia, so he liked the idea that it had come home. “And I can’t think of a better place for it!”
I agree.
Then Kenny mentioned that he seven more antique clocks.
And how could I possibly restrain myself? “And I have seven more mantels!”
Kenny and I then sat in the newly finished parlor for hours talking about this and that. And every hour the clock chimed. And every half-hour? A single chime.
I beamed with delight each time.
The parlor suddenly felt truly alive.
Thank you, Kenny. Thank you.
19 Comments
Leave a Comment
Your email address will NEVER be made public or shared, and you may use a screen name if you wish.
What a lovely clock! Yay Kenny!!! Looks wonderful on the mantel.
That clock began life in Waterbury, Connecticut, and may well be contemporary with your home; you could still get casket clocks (so called because they resemble a fancy casket, or box) new up to the first world war. My grandparents got a very nice Gilbert casket clock for a housewarming gift in the summer of 1921. Your case has the admirable traits of being pretty without over-embellishment and standing in its own good proportions and simple design. I especially like the applied metal decorations. I know you have some exterior freize molding made that way, but didn’t you have some interior trim with some raised application?
Tick tock, tick tock . . . What a wonderful gift. It looks like its always been there, as I agree , the Crosses brought it with them to their new home.
I had a very similar clock on the mantle of my (former) 1904 Victorian! Only mine had a black face with gold numerals, and pairs of columns to each side. These just look right on such mantles.
I think the clock suits really well. When I sometimes lie awake in the middle of the night, trying to think of a method to implement my latest idea, I love to hear a clock striking the hour. I don’t even have to open my eyes to know the time, and it feels friendly.
Lovely! I also love to hear a clock striking the hour. Such a thoughtful gift.
This makes me ridiculously happy. Way to go, Kenny!
Oh how wonderful!!! It’s like this clock belongs there and is smiling! Lovely gesture and perfect gift.
Beautiful!!!And there is nothing better then the sounds of an old clock to make a space feel alive! Keep an eye out for a westminster chiming clock for somewhere else in the house, they’re my absolute favorite.
Also, I believe I mentioned that black marble clocks are usually too old for the cross house. Well, kenny (I must find a friend like him) seems to have found one that isn’t! Its ornamentation is perfectly aligned with the 1890s. Free flowing and simple. You usually find them decorated in the eastlake/asthetic style with lots of filigree and fussy stencil. So I will eat my words about all black marble clocks being too old-fashioned, kenny has proven me wrong.
Wow I talk a lot.
Where are the puppies?
It’s beautiful! I have a weakness for timepieces with Roman numerals. What a thoughtful gift and a perfect fit.
Wow! Now we’re talking! Beautiful clock and I’m delighted it chimes. I have several in my home and their chimes always bring me pleasure. A little extra dimension that makes a house a home. And as much as I love the clock…I think I love Kenny’s shorts more! A man who presents such a gift is obviously a man of distinction!
Now….regarding the hall….a massive grandfather clock with Westminster chimes whose basso tones can be heard throughout the house. That hallway is acoustically structured for just such a clock! Kenny….what have do you happen to have in a grandfather’s clock that’s just standing around?! 🙂
I do have a grandfather clock but sadly I can’t part with it.I do agree Ross needs one in his grand entry hall.
The question is, does Ross want a grandfather’s (or professionally referred to as “tall case”) clock for the hall?
Love it! I have a nearly identical one on my Victorian dresser.
Very cool! It looks great there, and the local connection is even more special.
I also have an appreciation for mechanical chiming clocks. My father-in-law has several wall-hanging ones in his house (from the 20s, 30s, or 40s, from my rough guessing: my clock knowledge is very limited). I will always remember it’s distinctive hourly chimes from when my wife and I were still dating, and I would stay late into the evening.
Wow Ross. The parlor room looks amazing! looking forward when you have the foyer done. Amazing job!
OMG or as you would say, “ZOUNDS! I’ll be gobsmacked!!”
I inherited that exact same clock when my grandmother passed away. While the rest of the family descended on her house like ants at a picnic, I wanted only two things: that clock and the baby bed that all of her kids and grandkids had slept in. (I was so small that I slept in that thing til I was 8 y/o when we went to visit.)
I looked at your clock and immediately glanced at my clock sitting on my piano and cried happy tears!