Courtenay Adrian Ilbert (1888–1956), was a British civil engineer interested in horology, and a collector of watches. Ilbert lived for a time at

10 Milner Street 10 Milner Street, also known as Stanley House is a Grade II listed house in Milner Street, Chelsea, London, England. It is a double-fronted house in an Italianate style, and was built by the Chelsea speculator John Todd in 1855, for his own o ...

, Chelsea, London, the old ground floor drawing room once housed the Ilbert Collection of clocks, watches, marine chronometers and sundials. He brought together the most important collection of watches ever achieved by a private collector. In 1958, after his death, his collection was acquired by the British Museum. Initially, the collection had been put up for auction, but was saved for the public by a private donation to the British Museum for this purpose and the auction was subsequently cancelled. The collection, now known as the Ilbert collection, includes the Earnshaw 509 chronometer one of only two surviving out of a complement of 22 from the

voyage of the Beagle The second voyage of HMS ''Beagle'', from 27 December 1831 to 2 October 1836, was the second survey expedition of HMS ''Beagle'', under captain Robert FitzRoy who had taken over command of the ship on its first voyage after the previous capt ...

.David Thompson, Saul Peckham, ''The History of Watches'', p.9, Abbeville, 2008 .

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilbert, Courtenay Adrian 1888 births 1956 deaths English civil engineers Horology Prehistory and Europe objects in the British Museum