A RARE clock made by an 18th century Bromsgrove clockmaker is being offered for sale to people in the town.

The Longcase - also known as a grandfather - clock was picked up by antiquarian horologist Francis Bennett at his Time In Hand shop in Shipston-on-Stour.

After restoring it to full working order, Mr Bennett, formerly from Stoke Prior, chose the town's leading newspaper, the Bromsgrove Advertiser/Messenger, to offer it for sale.

"I'm a Bromsgrove man and my mother still lives in the town so I wanted to see if anyone there wanted to buy this clock. I like them to go to original homes if possible," he said. "I also have Payton's Last Will and Testament which will go along to the buyer."

The clock costs £4,300 but the items are unlikely to be bought for the town. Karen Spry, curator of Bromsgrove Museum, said they were short of both cash and space.

"We wouldn't have anywhere to put it," she said. "We have some clocks but we don't have a Henry Payton. I would be interested to find out more about him."

Des Clarke, of the Bromsgrove Society, also said it was unlikely they would buy the clock because they didn't have anywhere to display it.

Mr Bennett said he had come across a handful of clocks by Henry Payton and has discovered that he was an apprentice of the leading Midlands family firm of Grieves.

Payton then had his own workshop in Crown Close, Bromsgrove, between 1753 and 1770, when it was a key industrial area. One of his apprentices there, John Crane, went on to be a success on his own and the building was later turned over to production of the Bromsgrove Banshee motorbike.

In the will, dated 1791, Henry leaves everything to his wife Mary.

"The clock is a basic design but very well made and good enough quality to be still working after 250 years."