‘L. R.’ mantel clock, c.1919

Overview

Frank Holden was born in New York in 1869 and made a career in the electrical industry. He lived and travelled internationally, residing in London from 1897 and Italy from 1923. His name was associated with more than 60 patents in the UK, mostly associated with electricity meters. The patent for this clock dates from 1919 – an earlier model (TCW 3014) featuring a pendulum was patented in 1909. A flat coil, similar to a balance spring, moves between the poles of two magnets. This clock has ‘L.R.’ on the dial; the acronym’s significance is not known, but other Holden clocks have similarly mysterious names and abbreviations.