Large Victorian 5-draw Pancratic telescope by EG Wood
Stock Number: 168
£150
For Sale, a large pancratic 5-draw Victorian telescope by EG Wood of Cheapside, London
Dimensions
1metre long
Circa
1880
Country of manufacture
UK and Ireland
Description
This long Victorian brass telescope has 5 draws: the first draw adjusts the magnification power, and the second is used to adjust the focus. The total length extended is 39.5” (1 metre), but it is still easily hand-held. It was made by E.G.Wood of 74 Cheapside, London, which is engraved on the second draw. The first draw is marked 30, 35 and 40, for the magnification levels available – it is very powerful, and the optical quality is impressive. The barrel was possibly once covered with a wood veneer, this has been replaced by a more modern wooden veneer, which looks like walnut. There is also a sunshade which extends over the objective.
The telescope is 2.25” diameter, and when closed up is only 10.25” long. Externally the only sign of obvious damage is a dent on the 4th draw, which does not restrict the movement. While there was an E G Wood quoted by Victoria Clifton in 1830s London, this scope is later than that in design: the E G Wood at that address was referenced in Science Museum documents as working from 1851-1893 at 74 Cheapside.
Ask the Dealer
Dealer information
Telescope Collector
I first started using a telescope in the 60s, to identify aeroplanes arriving at Yeadon airport, in Yorkshire. Then I started to collect and restore vintage brass scopes in the 1990s. The collection boomed later, in the early days of the internet, rising to around 300 in number. Since then I have made a lot of friends via the internet, advising them on how to identify, date or repair their scopes. At the age of 74 I need to disperse these wonderful bits of engineering history, because they still work today as well as they did 200+ years ago! That is the fascination....Some of my collection have already been sold to collectors spread around, in the UK, USA, Ireland, Israel, France and Germany. Several have been returned to the UK descendants of the people who made them, or relatives of their previous owners, because they found the stories on my website. Now the collection needs to be dispersed more systematically. If you are looking for a specific telescope, just ask, maybe I have one! If you want better pictures of the telescopes shown here, these can be emailed. Nick Denbow, based in Alresford, Hampshire: contact via email on [email protected]
