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THE WETHERFIELD COLLECTION
David Arthur Wetherfield (1845-1928) was a successful coal merchant who assembled one of the greatest collections of English clocks ever formed. Upon his death his house in Blackheath contained some 232 of the finest English clocks. Every room in the large house (except the bedroom) contained clocks - there were thirteen longcases in the dining room alone. On Wetherfield’s death the collection was placed in the hands of the auctioneer W.E. Hurcomb. In the first instance it was to be offered as a whole but if the reserve was not reached it was then to be presented in single lots. Dates for the auction were set but in the event the entire collection was purchased for £30,000 by a syndicate comprising Francis Mallett, Percy Webster and an American clock dealer called Arthur Vernay.
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