Walking by Corpus college the other day I spotted something going on and and when i got closer was told it was a new clock for the library, boring i thought. As it turns out the clock is a shining new version of 'grasshopper escapement' which is a mechanism whereby rotational motion of the internal cogs is turned into pendulum motion for counting seconds. The clock is made by horologist ex-pupil Dr John Taylor who cites John Harrison the inventor of gridiron mechanism and famous as the pioneer of longtitude as his hero.
He calls the new version of the escapement a 'Chronophage' (time-eater) - "a fearsome beast which drives the clock, literally "eating away time" I agree it is fascinating and awesome and i hope to find an excuse to get into the college and see it myself.
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