The pastries are usually bought by people rushing to their workplaces for breakfast (or for lunchtime).

Thus, the steam clock is driven by the oven, and – for the oven is heated whenever the pastries run out an new ones are needed – also by the stream of people buying pastries. Whenever the oven inside is fully heated, steam evaporates through the pipe's end. The public display of Street Bakery Steam Clocks is usually to be found at (and identical with) one side, sometimes also the back of the small hut – basically an otherwise 'naked' wall with the steam pipe in the center. They are driven by the small ovens in the bakery huts. the Bratislava Street Bakery Steam Clocks. Yet, in the framework of TBC research we are far more interested in alternate concepts for time pieces in general – and in this case for steam clocks respectively.Īs a matter of fact, we have meanwhile also found alternate steam clock models and mechanisms worth to mention here.Īmong these are i.e. We will proceed with some research on steam clock mechanisms anyway – however, the steam clocks mentioned so far are obviously built to display local standard time(s). ] related paragraph] Wikipedia entry on Steam Clocks] Landmark Clocks International They are tuned to play melodies related to the place where the steam clock is installed. driving the air circulation).Ī special feature of Saunders' clocks is their chimes, consisting of steam whistles sitting on the top of the clock. In addition to that, the clock has three supporting electric motors (a.o. Here the balls are taken into another rotating mechanism that is connected to the clock movement mechanism. Probably the most prominent public steam clocks are those built by Canadian clockmaker Raymond Saunders, first of which was installed in Vancouver, Canada, in 1977.Īt the core of Saunder's steam clocks' mechanism is, of course, a steam engine that is the driving force for a gear train combined with an ascending chain lift lifting ball weights upwards. However, more recently a whole variety of steam clocks have been constructed and installed in different places worldwide. While Inshaw's steam clock obviously proved to be an attraction, it seems like it did not unleash a whole wave of steam clock installments – at least we could not find any related documents. Note: This mechanism seems to be quite similar to those sported by early Elementaruhren (see ibid.) – more precisely: early water clocks. ] Chris Upton's Article on John Inshaw's Steam Clock] Digital Ladywood

When the steam condensed, droplets of water fell down on a plate that was operating the steam clock's core mechanism. The construction was based on a small boiler producing steam. On this building he installed the mentioned steam clock. In 1859, Inshaw bought a public building in Ladywood, Birmingham. he is known for his construction of a steam carriage in 1881 – and therefore decided to celebrate (and propagate) the power and benefits of steam with a steam clock. Inshaw was really into steam engineering – a.o. There may have been steam clocks before – however, the first famous steam clock in Europe we got notice of is one built by the British mechanic, engineer and inventor John Inshaw (1807-1893) of Aston, Birmingham (GB).

Raymond saunders clockmaker