This is a fine example of an Art Deco Stormoguide barometer. It is sold in working condition and the reading arrow moves with changes in air pressure etc. It a chocolate brown coloured bakelite scientific instrument. The bakelite is in good condition with no fading, scratches or chips. It features a detailed dial with weather forecasting indicators including 'Stormy', 'Rain', 'Change', 'Fair', and 'Very Dry'. On the back is an altitute adjustment dial callibrated from 0 to 2500 feet. This allows for precise local settings.
The barometer is a desktop variety on a stand section. The two upright arms have a swivel arrangement - so you can angle the face of the barometer to ease your readings. The face is nice and clean with no spotting, all lettering is clear and legible. The little setting plate on the back is also clean with no issues. It states below that the barometer was first patented on August 18, 1914. So the design is now over 100 years old.
My one measures: The stand is 11 x 3 1/2 inches. The overall height from base to top of the face section is 6 1/4 inches. The diameter of the glazed face is 4 inches. I have taken lots images for your inspection to show what a fine example this barometer is. It is listed at a fair price - given its design, age and excellent condition.
It will be sent to you with Royal Mail Tracked (Small Parcel). This will be applied to your order at the checkout.
SHORT HISTORY FOR YOUR INTEREST: Short & Mason "Stormoguide" barometers are high-quality, antique British weather forecasting instruments produced by the renowned London-based firm, which was established in 1845. Introduced around the 1920s-1930s, these instruments were marketed as superior to standard barometers because their dials offered specific weather predictions rather than just pressure readings.
The hallmark of the Stormoguide is its dial, which provides detailed predictions (e.g., "Clearing with High Winds," "Fair and Warmer") based on whether the barometer is rising (often in black text) or falling (often in red text). Many models were marked "Compensated for Temperature" and included adjustments for altitude (often up to 3,500ft), making them accurate for specific locations.
The Stormoguide was a clever means of popularising the barometer by Short & Mason in the early Twentieth Century. Rather than trying to purely interpret the barometric pressure in inches or using the old Admiral Fitzroy method of forecast, the company sought to provide visual description and meaning to the movement of the dial. These were not necessarily new indices but Short & Mason sought to remove the complication of reading a barometer and to make it an immediate and useful piece of household equipment.
SHORT HISTORY: Short & Mason were formed by Thomas Watling Short & William James Mason in 1864 and were based in Hatton Garden, London. They were makers of barometers and scientific instruments but a significant part of their business was focussed upon aneroid barometers by the start of the twentieth century. They moved from Hatton Garden to Walthamstow in 1910 and in 1921 lodged a copyright for their new means of forecasting the weather by observing changes in atmospheric pressure. Later in the twenties, a similar US copyright was taken out by Taylor Instruments who sold the “Stormoguide” in America. The firm of Taylor Instruments merged with Short & Mason in 1969 although the company did have similar trading deals with Negretti & Zambra in the 20th century.