Time Subscribers & Time Ball -- Flamsteed House, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, UK
N 51° 28.679 W 000° 00.122
30U E 708176 N 5707243
An example of a table-top time ball is on display in Flamsteed House on board the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in an exhibit about time subscribers and time signals
Waymark Code: WMT40K
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 09/21/2016
Views: 2
The waymark coordinates are for the Flamsteed House at the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, which is worth your time to explore. Among the many displays of timepieces and chronometers inside, in this case sits a table-top time ball that merchants would put in their windows during the late 19th-century to share the correct time with customers and people walking by.
An interpretive signs nearby read as follows:
"TIME SUBSCRIBERS
The Royal Observatory was not the only suppliers of accurate time. The Standard Time and Telephone Company provided clocks like this, corrected every hour by an electrical signal. The company tried to discredit their rival, the Greenwich Chronometer Lady, Ruth Bellville, with negative publicity.
TIME BALLS
The Greenwich time ball was installed in 1833. It soon became a public icon, similar devices being set up worldwide. Tabletop versions, such as this one, set in the windows of shops and offices. An hourly telegraph time signal made the ball drop, providing accurate time for passers-by."
Type of Historic Marker: Interpretive sign
Historical Marker Issuing Authority: Royal Museums Greenwich
Age/Event Date: 01/01/1833
Related Website: [Web Link]
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