Posted May 6, 2012
Many grandfather clock discount shoppers will come into one of our stores, or call us, and ask to see the Big Ben grandfather clock selection we carry. Almost invariably, they mean grandfather clocks that play the famous Westminster Chimes, which are also played by the Big Ben Clock Tower in the Parliament Building in downtown London England. Almost everyone will recognize the Westminster Chime played by Big Ben, because aside from it being the most popular chime by far on grandfather clocks, and besides hearing it in London, it is also the chime played by most Churches in the Western World. You might want to see www.BigBenGrandfatherClocks.com for more details.
We should probably mention that we are aware that there is a clock retailer out there which uses the very clock-friendly and seemingly instantly recognizable name of Big Ben Clocks, but we have no relationship to them whatsoever, nor do we imagine do they to the real Big Ben Clock Tower in London.
Most modern-day or contemporary grandfather clocks will either have a single chime which is the Westminster Chimes, and if the clock is a triple chime grandfather clock, meaning it effectively comes preloaded with a choice of three chimes that the owner can switch back and forth between – but never do while the chime is playing – and the other 2 grandfather clock chimes are likely to be the Whittington grandfather clock chime or the St Michaels floor clock chime. A small number of high-quality grandfather clocks, which we will highlight below, offer as an alternative to the Westminster Chime the Franz Schubert Ave Maria and the Ludwig van Beethoven Ode to Joy chimes, so these 2 grandfather clocks, pictured below, would come the the choice of the Big Ben Westminster Chime, Beethoven’s Ode to Joy and Schubert’s Ave Maria chime, something rarely found on a mechanical clock. Mechanical grandfather clocks have a much superior chime sound quality when they come from a German mechanical made grandfather clock movement, as do these two models.
Howard Miller Stewart Grandfather Clock
model 610-948 610948, plays Big Ben Westminster, Ave Maria and Ode to Joy Chimes
Howard Miller Clayton Grandfather Clock
model 610-950 610950, also plays Big Ben Westminster, Ave Maria and Ode to Joy Chimes
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