Call to mind the Victorian house and one instinctively sees the welcoming fire framed by its imposing mantelpiece. The mantelpiece would be enhanced by a range of eye-catching ornaments, with a proudly displayed mantel clock as the centrepiece. From the mid-19th century to the end of the Victorian era, the most popular mantel clock was the mass-produced French ''marble clock''. Even though these clocks came in a vast range of case styles, they were instantly recognisable. The stone-like case, usually black, was typically relieved with ornaments, bands and columns of coloured stone or metal, while the style of the case drew its artistic inspiration from contemporary architecture. So popular did the marble clock become that it was usual to find a number of them scattered throughout the rooms of the house. In the early twentieth century, the black marble cases gave way to Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles. Cases showed a new simplicity of line and used strongly marked and coloured marbles. For the collector, marble clocks offer a useful, active antique, of wide-ranging style and at an attractive price.

Brian Oliver runs a horological shop in Hove specialising in old clock parts and clocks for restoration. Peter Wotton is by profession a chartered engineer but in recent years has expanded his interest in horology and written many articles on the subject.