There’s very exciting news for those in the Isle of Man. You can see the wonderful Midsummer Chronophage clock on display in Douglas, there in time to see in the New Year!
The spectacular clock, designed by the world-renowned inventor, philanthropist and Santon resident, Dr John C Taylor OBE, is now on display at the Isle of Man’s largest privately-owned bar and restaurant, 1886 in Regent Street, Douglas, Isle of Man.
The huge mesmerising, gold-plated clock, measuring 1.5 metres (5 ft) in diameter, was conceived, designed and mostly manufactured on the Island. It is the second in a series of four unique timepieces that tell the time through a series of concentric circles of light. The outer circle shows the seconds, the middle circle the minutes and the inner circle the hours.
Dr Taylor said, “Following residencies in Edinburgh and Cambridge, the Midsummer Chronophage has returned to the island so that it may be seen and enjoyed by the Manx public. I’m grateful to Oliver Cheshire, Douglas Town Manager and Jonathan Joughin, the Mayor of Douglas, for finding such a wonderful location for the clock to be displayed until Midsummer Day in June 2021.”
James Thompson, owner of 1886 Bar and Restaurant said, “I’m thrilled to have such a stunning work of art on display at the bar and restaurant. This is a very busy time of year for us and thanks to Dr Taylor we will have a very special countdown to the New Year, when we expect thousands to gather to bring in 2021.”
Diane Gallagher, 1886 Bar and Grill director and shareholder said, “We’re delighted and honoured that our venue was chosen to display such a fabulous piece of engineering and art. I hope that the people of the Isle of Man enjoy having it in the Douglas town centre as much we do.”
The other Chronophage clocks include the Corpus Chronophage, which is displayed on the exterior of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from where Dr Taylor graduated in Natural Sciences in 1959, the Dragon Chronophage and one secret Chronophage that was commissioned by an American art collector in 2011.
May 2022 update: 1886 Bar and Restaurant is at 6 Regent Street, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 2EA and the clock is on display until January 2023. We are delighted that the iconic timepiece is now recognised as a landmark and featured on the Visit Isle of Man website.
