Gastown Steam Clock

The real star of the show, the proud representative of Vancouver’s historic town center, is her: Gastown’s famous Steamclock. As its name suggests, it’s a clock whose mechanism is powered by a steam engine. The first to think of it was an English engineer and businessman, John Inshaw. When taking over a pub in Birmingham, he had the idea of promoting his establishment by installing a steam engine whose condensed drops of water, falling at regular intervals onto a plate, would power the clock mechanism. The year was 1859, and interest in steam power was growing. However, Gastown clock is much more recent. While its Victorian style might lead you to believe that it’s a 19th-century relic, I’m sorry to say that it actually was built back in 1977 by Raymond Saunders! This Canadian clockmaker has made over 150 custom clocks, including 6 steam clocks, which are both tourist attractions and public works of art for the towns that host them. Although it’s true that John Inshaw had designed a steam mechanism nearly a century earlier, the Vancouver clock is often considered the first steam clock ever built. As the first was small and inaccurate, Saunders had to start from scratch and reinvent the clock entirely. So what’s the point of building a steam clock in the 20th century? It’s worth noting that Vancouver’s heating system runs beneath your feet, and that the monument was commissioned by the city to cover a steam grid. The idea was to harness its energy and mask the clouds of steam escaping from it. Another, less glorious reason was to prevent the homeless from sleeping there in periods of extreme cold. To say that the clock is powered entirely by steam would not be honest, as it also uses a mechanism powered by descending weights, as well as a small electric motor, added in 1986 to guarantee its accuracy. In any case, the show comes to life every 15 minutes, when the clock spits steam from its 5 whistles, and every hour, when it delivers its personal interpretation of the Westminster carillon. So whether it’s more recent than it looks, or not quite 100% steam, it’s the epitome of Gastown and one of Vancouver’s top tourist destinations.