© Copyright
Mervyn Passmore 2008
Marblack Slate Blacking Home

Black Marble Clocks became popular in the UK when Queen Victoria lost her husband. She and the country went into a prolonged state of mourning. Black cloths were draped across parlours, the Queen dressed in black like a Mediterranean widow, and her subjects did their bit by 'Buying all things black', and even painting ornaments black.

Generally known as Black Slate Clocks by the trade, the stone is in fact neither marble nor slate. It is a Belgian calcite with a slightly porous texture. Marble is a much harder, impervious stone, and these clocks were often inlaid with genuine marble to give them a little style and colour.

The normal place to put these clock was on the mantle piece, for several reasons:

• The clocks are delicate and a wobbly table will prevent them from working correctly.
• Being heavy, they needed some permanent place
• It is normally easily visible.

 After spending decades on a warm shelf above a fire, many cases have become dull. Patches of greyness sometimes appear on the surface.

Marblack Slate Blacking is a powerful black emulsified stain combined with silicones that blackens and polishes the surface of these clocks, as well as a host of other black items around the home.