Chronophage Clocks by Dr John C Taylor OBE

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The Inspiration for the Chronophage Clocks Dr John Crawshaw Taylor OBE, creator of the Chronophage clocks, is a world-respected inventor, and an admirer of the acclaimed clock maker, John Harrison, who participated in the Longitude Prize.

In 1714 the Longitude Act offered a £20,000 prize to anyone who could find a method by which longitude could be determined to improve the safety of sea navigation. To create an accurate sea clock, a land clock had to be perfected first.

Harrison created two identical wooden longcase clocks which he observed in different temperature settings. He mastered temperature compensation by utilising the differential expansions of brass and steel and he developed this technology further in a third clock by inventing bi-metal. It was this technology that Dr Taylor used in the 1960s to

develop his thermostatic controls that are still used today throughout the world in many electronic motors and kettle controls.

Harrison also created the grasshopper escapement which is a low-friction escapement for pendulum clocks. This revolutionary invention is honoured in the design of the Chronophage clocks. In Harrison’s clocks, these escapements were incorporated into the interior workings of the clock. In the Chronophage clocks, the grasshopper escapement is incorporated into the ‘time-eater’ creature, that sits on top of the clockface, devouring each minute as it passes.

In 2015 Dr Taylor was awarded the prestigious Harrison Medal by the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers for excellence in horology.

John Harrison invented a bi-metallic gridiron pendulum to minimise the increase in the length of a pendulum when the temperature rises, which would otherwise slow down a clock. He went on to create the marine chronometer which greatly improved safety at sea.

Above: John Harrison long case clock 1726. Right: Thomas Mudge marine chronometer, 1779, part of the Dr John C Taylor OBE clock collection.

The Four Chronophage Clocks

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1 Corpus Chronophage

2 The Midsummer Chronophage

The first Chronophage created by Dr Taylor was gifted by him to his alma mater, Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, in 2008. It is now the most popular tourist attraction in this splendid city.

The second Chronophage has recently undergone a metamorphosis from a steam-punk design to a psychedelic masterpiece. It has just completed a highly successful tenure at Lion Yard in Cambridge, where it has been seen by hundreds of thousands of visitors each week.

3 The Dragon Chronophage

4 The Secret Chronophage

The inspiration for the third Chronophage came from Dr Taylor’s travels to the People’s Republic of China. This beneficent dragon ‘time-eater’ presents a bountiful pearl on its tongue as a gift on the hour, accompanied by the sound made by the striking of a Chinese gong within the mechanism of the sophisticated timepiece.

Dr Taylor took up the challenge of creating a very special Chronophage for an art collector.

The creature was the result of a great deal of collaboration and a vivid imagination. Having first been publicly exhibited, it is now in a private residence in the United States.

The Corpus Chronophage The Corpus Chronophage was donated by Dr Taylor to Cambridge University’s Corpus Christi College in 2008. It is today displayed on an exterior wall of a building that houses the Taylor Library, and is now the most popular tourist attraction in Cambridge, one loved and admired annually by millions of people from all age groups, including children, from every part of the globe.

The clock pays its respects to ‘relative time’, as theorised by the renowned physicist, Albert Einstein. Einstein made the point that when you are having fun, time goes quickly and when you are anxious, time passes slowly.

Lights race around clockwise in three concentric circles on the 24-carat gold clockface. The timepiece interacts with audiences, going fast or slow, with the creature even moving backwards.

When the clock gets to 59 seconds, the beast opens its mouth to snap up the minute, for it never to be seen again. It’s a timely reminder for observers to make the most of every minute of their lives.

Even though the mythical character moves slowly and quickly, the clock always keeps perfect time!

“Chronophage is derived from the ancient Greek words ‘chronos’ and ‘phage’ meaning ‘time-eater’”

© Henry Iddon www.henryiddon.com

The largest outer ring shows the seconds, the middle ring minutes and the central circle shows the hours.

The creature’s eyes flash and onlookers are enchanted by its movements and the shock of the huge pendulum’s occasional pulses.

Prince Philip and Stephen Hawking have both been intrigued by the Cambridge Corpus Clock.

The 2014 Tour de France stage three from Cambridge to London departs passing the Corpus Chronophage clock.

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Corpus Clock Creation The first Chronophage, which became the Corpus Clock, was created by a team of experts working together.

The team included the renowned technical specialists, Huxley Bertram Engineering, who provided bespoke mechanical design and build capabilities.

As the Chronophage clocks are homages to John Harrison, a hero of Dr Taylor’s, they all feature a huge grasshopper escapement hidden within a mythical creature that claws its way across the top of the clockface as time marches on.

“The Chronophage slows down, speeds up and sometimes even stops, but is completely correct every fifth minute”

Above: The proof of concept prototype for the grasshopper escapement for the Chronophage Clock. Left: The pendulum bob was made in the Isle of Man.

The clockface consists of stainless steel ‘exploded’ in water to create ripples which depict time expanding from the centre of the universe after the ‘big bang’. The metal is then plated in multiple layers of 24-carat gold.

The Corpus Chronophage was officially unveiled by the cosmologist Professor Stephen Hawking in 2008. The clock quickly gained publicity globally and became a focal point of the City of Cambridge.

Far left: The surround for the Corpus Clock. Left: Stuart Huxley with Dr John C Taylor. Above: Enamelling the creature. Right: Corpus Clock showing its Vernier slits.

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The Midsummer Chronophage Following the huge success of the Corpus Chronophage, Dr Taylor focused on creating a new clock.

The grasshopper escapement of the Midsummer Chronophage is hidden within a creature resembling an insect with extended wings.

Like the Corpus Clock creature, this time-eater is eternally voracious, reminding us to reflect on how we spend our lives and to make the most of our fleeting time on earth.

“Each quarter hour the forked tail stings and quivers. On the strike of each hour, the number of stings matches the resounding chimes�

Above: Midsummer Chronophage in its original colours. Left: The Midsummer Chronophage takes centre stage in the atrium of Arragon Mooar in 2014.

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The first iteration of the Midsummer Chronophage showed the creature in a dark, gothic style and it was first exhibited in this form on Midsummer’s day at the inaugural Masterpiece Fair in 2010, which took place at London’s Chelsea Barracks.

It was then exhibited at the Science Museum, London, to great acclaim in 2011. The clock was then displayed at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh in 2013.

Like many insects, the Midsummer creature has metamorphosed, in this case from ‘steam-punk’ to ‘psychedelia’, with spectacular results. With its completely new livery and an exoskeleton made of titanium, the new Midsummer Chronophage has entertained hundreds of thousands of visitors at Lion Yard in Cambridge in the summer of 2019.

Right: The dial face is stainless steel plated with £100k of 24-carat gold.

Installation needs to be carefully undertaken!

Left: Artists’ samples of textures and finishes. Above: Laser at work on the stainless steel dial face before gold-plating.

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Engagement and Interaction How does one building stand out from another?

Why would people choose to linger in a particular area? The Midsummer Chronophage has created a massive ‘buzz’ in the popular Lion Yard Shopping Centre, Cambridge.

Its launch created a stir with the BBC and other media outlets where journalists were intrigued by the new clock.

Equally significant is the response from the public who visit Lion Yard on a weekly or daily basis. People from every walk of life choose to stop, observe and in most cases photograph the Chronophage creature.

Following the official launch at Lion Yard by Dr Taylor on the eve of Midsummer’s Day, the clock has been photographed tens of thousands of times and these images have been shared widely on social media.

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Lion Yard Centre Manager Roger Allen said, “There’s been massive interest around the Midsummer Chronophage and all of it is positive.

In the four months the spectacular timepiece has been here, we’ve continued to build on the popularity of Lion Yard, in spite of a difficult trading climate in retail across the UK in general. We’ve grown very fond of the clock and were sorry to see it go.”

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There is great detail shown in the creation of the Midsummer Chronophage. The creature is covered in spiky hairs and the wings rock backwards and forwards, assisted by the halters, used by certain insects to provide balance when flying.

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The Corpus Chronophage clock design is already immortalised in a plethora of merchandise sold in Cambridge stores, from books, postcards, and playing cards, to the humble fridge magnet.

Likewise, the iconic Midsummer Chronophage design lends itself to branded merchandise, which presents another opportunity to engage with the public.

Dr Taylor’s team worked alongside Lion Yard to produce a bespoke surround for the clock, which carried the Lion Yard branding and QR codes for the convenience of the public. His team also created educational point of sale and wayfinding signage featuring the colourful Chronophage. In summary, a well-targeted integrated campaign was run which was of mutual benefit to all parties.

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“This amazing clock takes my breath away every time I see it. It’s truly mesmerizing”

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The Dragon Chronophage The stunning Dragon Chronophage resides in Dr Taylor’s home, in the Isle of Man, and caused a sensation when it was exhibited in 2015 in Shanghai, one of the world’s largest cities.

This third clock in the series is noted for its shimmering scales and the pearl it reveals on its long tongue as the clock strikes each hour.

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The beneficent dragon was designed in collaboration with Professor Long from the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou.

Dr Taylor visited China on business for many years and was inspired by its outstanding design and architecture. He first visited Hong Kong in the 1960’s and went on to set up a factory in Guangzhou in the 1980’s.

Harrison Grasshopper pallets controlling the escape wheel

59 seconds 59 minutes

9 hours Rotating Escape wheel

Pendulum

5ft (1.5m) diameter Chronophage The Dragon is a working component of the Grasshopper escapement, releasing the giant escape wheel each second, synchronised with the pendulum swing.

Clock Face The outer ring shows the seconds, the middle ring minutes and the inner ring hours. Slots light up to show the time, currently 9:59:59, or 1 second to ten.

Sound The Chronophage’s loud tick mesmerises listeners and on the hour a gong reminds them of the Dragon’s place in Chinese mythology.

Time races around the second, minute and hour dials as a series of lights. On the hour, the Dragon opens its mouth and presents a pearl hidden within, in time with the strikes of the Chinese gong. For example, at 10 o’clock the Dragon will show its pearl 10 times.

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The Secret Chronophage The fourth Chronophage in the series was a private commission. The feminine creature performs sophisticated tricks, including the ability to turn its elegant head, as though she is observing her audience.

This magnificent clock was exhibited at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, where the bespoke time-eater performed, before being installed in a North American private home.

For more information about commissioning a Chronophage clock please contact The Office of Dr John C Taylor OBE Email: office@johnctaylor.com Or call 01624 828 880 www.johnctaylor.com

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About the Creator Born in Buxton, Derbyshire, the creator of the Chronophage clocks, Dr John C Taylor, has over 400 patents to his name.

After graduating from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1959, having studied Natural Sciences, he joined his father Eric’s firm, Otter Controls.

He worked on research and development and before long started to produce bi-metal snap action controls which are still in production today, such as the Otter G, which prevents electric motors in vehicles from overheating.

In 2000, a year after retiring from Strix, Dr Taylor was granted an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST).

In 2011 Dr Taylor was appointed as an Officer of the British Empire in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to business and horology and the following year he was awarded a fellowship by the Royal Academy of Engineering. This was followed in 2017 by an Honorary Doctorate of Science from the University of Durham and an Honorary Fellowship of University College Isle of Man in 2018.

In 1977, Dr Taylor moved to the Isle of Man where, as a child, he had enjoyed his schooling at King William’s College. In 1981 Dr Taylor founded Strix Ltd, which received four Queen’s awards – three for export and one for innovation awarded for his 360° cordless kettle controls. These kettle controls are used throughout the world and are an essential ritual in millions of people’s daily lives, heating hot water safely and efficiently.

“Dr John C Taylor is one of the world’s greatest inventors with over 400 patents to his name”

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It’s perhaps not surprising that an inventor would choose to build his own house, but Dr Taylor has built his latest home, Arragon Mooar, in 300 acres of lush countryside with a stretch of rugged coastline at Santon, in the UNESCO biosphere, Isle of Man. The magnificent house is elliptical, linking in with Dr Taylor’s interest in astronomy and in his own words “because a circular home would be too easy”.

In his Palladian-influenced masterpiece, creativity stretches from ground to ceiling.

The central atrium floor is fashioned with two shades of carboniferous limestone over 325 million years

old, with stainless steel beading to create the image of a dahlia flower when observed from the home’s upper floors.

The ceilings are adorned with hand-made chandeliers consisting of dozens of Fuchsia flowers, hand crafted in copper and enamelled by a jeweller.

The Dragon Chronophage clock takes centre stage in the central atrium above a fireplace where time is marked by an impressive Chinese gong.

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Philanthropy Dr John C Taylor is grateful for his free tuition and splendid education he received while at Cambridge as a young man and has since donated in excess of £8 million to this world-renowned university.

In 2009, Dr Taylor was one of the few individuals to receive a prize personally from the Duke of Edinburgh for Outstanding Philanthropy for the Cambridge University’s 800th Anniversary Appeal.

In 2017 Professor Tim Minshall was appointed the inaugural Dr John C Taylor Professor of Innovation at the University of Cambridge. This new appointment allows the Professor to address how the university defines and develops the innovation skills and capabilities of student engineers, to allow them to better address both economic and social needs.

In the same year, Dr Taylor funded a new working space for start-ups to develop their initiatives at the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Enterprise Hub, in London, called the Taylor Centre.

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A passion for clocks has led Dr Taylor to develop his own collection of early English and Scottish clocks, watches and sundials, many of which are on loan by Dr Taylor to leading museums and institutions throughout the world. In addition, he conducts many talks and lectures to a wide range of audiences from children and students to tour guides, horologists and engineers.

Published by Fromanteel Ltd 2020