Raymond Saunders (clockmaker)
Encyclopedia
Raymond Saunders is a Canadian clockmaker who has designed and built more than 150 customized clocks that mainly serve as tourist-attracting public artworks. In 1977 he was commissioned to build a steam clock
for the Gastown
district of Vancouver
, Canada. The Gastown clock may be the first steam clock ever built, although there is evidence that 19th century British
engineer John Inshaw
made a steam clock after which was named a Birmingham
pub. Saunders has since built six different public steam clocks for clients such as the city of Otaru
, Japan
, and the Indiana State Museum. He has also built a clock for Vancouver's York House School
's 78th birthday in 2010.
Steam clock
A steam clock is a clock which is fully or partially powered by a steam engine. Only a few functioning steam clocks exist, most designed and built by Canadian horologist Raymond Saunders for display in urban public spaces...
for the Gastown
Gastown
Gastown is a national historic site in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the northeast end of Downtown adjacent to the Downtown Eastside. Its historical boundaries were the waterfront , Columbia Street, Hastings Street, and Cambie Street, which were the borders of the 1870 townsite survey, the proper...
district of Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada. The Gastown clock may be the first steam clock ever built, although there is evidence that 19th century British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
engineer John Inshaw
John Inshaw
John Inshaw was a mechanic and inventor who lived in Aston, now a district of Birmingham, England. Inshaw designed and built machinery for the railway and shipping industries and constructed a steam carriage. He was consulted by George Stephenson on the design of wheels for steam locomotives...
made a steam clock after which was named a Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
pub. Saunders has since built six different public steam clocks for clients such as the city of Otaru
Otaru, Hokkaido
is a city and port in Shiribeshi, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces the Ishikari Bay, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tourist destination...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and the Indiana State Museum. He has also built a clock for Vancouver's York House School
York House School
York House School is an independent girls school for junior kindergarten through grade 12 located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is located in the Shaughnessy neighbourhood in the heart of Vancouver. Founded in 1932 as a Canadian school for girls, it adopted an English motto as opposed...
's 78th birthday in 2010.