Spend the night at Eastnor and you’ll overhear our noisiest residents: the clocks. Some whisper and tut from the corners; others announce themselves with all the confidence of a houseguest who not only knows where the best whiskey is kept, but has decided that now is precisely the time for a nightcap.
Our Dutch 18th-century longcase is very much that type of clock. Waiting at the bottom of the staircase, it not only chimes the hour loudly enough to be heard from most of the bedrooms, but also has a Dutch striking rhythm – a charmingly baffling system in which a smaller bell chimes the next hour on the half-hour. At half past four, it rings five. A confusing, if occasionally necessary, reminder that one should probably retire to bed after a long night in the little library.
Clocks like these were all the rage in the 18th century; this one was made around 1760 by Johannes du Chesne, one of the most respected Dutch clockmakers of his time. The design features Atlas and two angels above the case, the former of whom shoulders a globe that opens – and was almost certainly used, back in the day, to hide valuables or small stashes of cash from prying hands. (Though knowing Eastnor’s former residents, it may just as easily have housed a secret cigar, love note or mildly incriminating IOU.)
Unusually, it also features a second hand and a moonphase dial – a nod to Dutch customers, who cared deeply about the moon thanks to trade, travel and the tides that governed both.
There’s more Dutch lore in the scene below the dial. On the surface, it shows Andromeda being rescued by Perseus. But it’s also an allegory for the liberation of Holland from Spanish rule – Perseus standing in for Prince Frederick, Andromeda for the Netherlands. Naturally, the ships of the Dutch navy make a cameo, bobbing heroically across the waves with every tick.
It might seem strange that an English castle should have such a Dutch-minded clock. But look around. Eastnor’s magic lies in its happily acquired miscellany – objects and stories gathered by those who lived here before us. The 1st Earl commissioned the obelisk; the 3rd brought back the dragon benches; current resident James Hervey-Bathurst added Mrs Fitzherbert’s portrait to the Gothic Drawing Room.
And the collector behind this clock? The 6th Baron Somers, who bought it in 1938, shortly after returning from Australia, where he served as Governor of Victoria (a story for another day). We’ve kept it – chiming, striking and gently shepherding late-night guests towards bed – ever since.