Introduction
For over 200 years the Strand acted as a global centre of clock manufacturing and development. It was here that some of London’s most renowned clock experts resided, toiling away in their workshops, and producing hundreds of timepieces which pushed the boundaries of timekeeping science and art. In this manner the Strand acted as a gateway to the world, being a key locus in the standardisation and unification of timekeeping practices across Britain’s global reach. Just as these timekeepers produced the clocks which came to shape domestic culture and consumption, so too did they arm explorers, traders, and navies with the chronometers required for accurate navigation at sea. In so doing the Strand also played a role in British imperial expansion, particularly contributing to the Victorian fascination with science as a tool for ordering and controlling natural laws and the world around them.