Which was the first known mechanical clock? Which is the oldest surviving clock in working order?
The first CLOCK mechanical of which there is a record is described with diagrams by the Chinese Imperial tutor Su Sung in his Hsin Hsiang Fa Yao of 1088. Su Sung’s clock was a massive machine, 30 ft high, with a water-powered driving-wheel and an escapement to control the gear-wheels regulating the time-keeping mechanism.
The earliest recorded mechanical clock in Europe was made by the Austin Canons and set up against the roodscreen of Dunstable priory, Bedfordshire in 1283. This probably had a verge and foliot escapement ` of the kind common to most medieval clocks.
The oldest surviving mechanical clock in working order in the world is the Salisbury Cathedral clock of 1386. It was found in derelict condition in the Cathedral tower by T.R. Robinson in 1929 and has since been restored to its original condition.
