What is the difference between a grandmother and a grandfather clock?
Both grandmother and grandfather clocks are long case pendulum clocks, but grandfather clocks are generally taller than grandmother clocks, measuring in between 6 and 7 feet, while grandmother clocks typically measure between 5 and 6 feet. The pendulum clock was invented in 1656 by Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch physicist and inventor. Huygens realized that time could be tracked by way of a pendulum long enough to track a single second with each swing. Originally, it was thought that only pendulums of a certain length could log a second accurately, resulting in tall, towering clock forms. The grandfather clock assumes its name from an 1876 song by songwriter, Henry Clay Work, entitled “Grandfather Clock.” The song was inspired by a trip Work took to George Hotel in North Yorkshire where Work was informed by the proprietor that the pendulum clock in the lobby was inhabited by a ghostly grandfather spirit. Grandmother clocks rightfully derived their name from the grandfather moniker.
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Lead photo by Katie Charlotte