Jackson Cookalone. Cooker timer about 1950. White painted metal enclosure with clock and time control knob.

Part of the Bob Gray collection of electrical objects.

Throughout the twentieth century a number of devices were created to allow the tine control of cooking. This Jackson Cookalone dates from the 1950s and was designed to control and electric cooker as a retro-fit device. By the 1960s most good quality cookers were fitted with integral timers. Despite the large amount of advertising which suggested that these were effort-saving devices, most people in the UK never used them although they were more popular in the US. This is a high quality and expensive unit including parts made by the well-known instrument maker, Smiths.