Candle clock

While no longer used today, candle clocks provided an effective way to tell time indoors, at night, or on a cloudy day.

The candles were placed for protection inside cases made of a wooden frame with transparent horn panels in the sides.

[citation needed] The invention of the candle clock was attributed by the Anglo-Saxons to Alfred the Great, king of Wessex.

The story of how the clock was created was narrated by Asser, who lived at Alfred's court and became his close associate.

The bottom of the candle rested in a shallow-dish that had a ring on its side connected through pulleys to a counterweight.