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The barometer
First rise after low
Foretells stronger blow
Long foretold long last
Short notice soon past
These words of
early meteorologist Admiral Fitzroy adorn one of the fascinating range
of antique barometers on show at the Albion Clocks gallery on Grove
Hill.
Devised first in C17th Florence, barometers came into domestic use
in the 1860s and are still to be found and used in many a home today.
Colin Bent
is an enthusiast about these instruments, which are not just of practical
use, but elegant and decorative too. “They’re extremely
entertaining. You can set them up at night and see immediately in
the morning if there’s a been a weather change. Children adore
them. They can easily be taught to adjust and read them. They don’t
need batteries either!”
There are basically 2 kinds of barometer, the mercury and the aneroid
(liquid-free). Both perform the same function of reading the atmospheric
pressure of the air which decreases according to height above sea
level and which is affected also by temperature.
‘Fitzroy’ barometers usually also feature a thermometer
and old-fashioned ‘storm glass’ where chemical crystals
in liquid turn murky in reaction to changes in air pressure.
Did you know that mercury is used in barometers because it expands
relatively little with pressure or temperature.
If water were used instead, the column in a barometer would have to
be 34 feet high!)
In Colin’s studio you will find fine examples of the ‘banjo’
style barometer (middle far left) and the ‘stick’ barometer,
the two most popular shapes over the years.
BAROMETERS
Introduction page
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