A few months ago, Invisible Bordeaux published two compilations of clocks than can be seen in the streets of the city (you'll find the pieces here and here). Inevitably, there were other clocks that also deserved their 15 minutes of fame on the blog, so here, ticking away nicely for your delight, is chapter 3!
The city's former slaughter house and meat market on Quai de Paludate was first built in 1938. In its brand new incarnation as the Boca food court, the clock has been refurbished and can be spotted just above the old market price displays!
This colourful offering (note also the subtle stars alongside each number) can be seen on three of the four sides of the bell tower of Saint-Bruno church, located between the Mériadeck quarter and Chartreuse cemetery.
This delightful clock can be found in the 19th-century Passage Sarget shopping arcade just off Cours de l'Intendance. It proudly announces itself as being "électrique" and was the work of the company founded by watchmaker and mechanic Paul Garnier (actually Jean-Paul Garnier), best known for railway station clocks that can be seen in France and, for some reason, Romania.
This clock can be seen on the side of an otherwise nondescript building in the Bassins à Flot docklands district. The naval nature of the area may have been particularly appealing to the associated clockmaker Henry Lepaute, who also traded as a mechanical engineer specializing in lighthouses. This clock is not currently in working order.
This suspended, double-sided street corner clock on Place Puy-Paulin was manufactured by Pilon. It appears to have loosely inspired the logo of the Puy Paulin bistro that can be found at ground level (judging by their website).
Amusingly, Saint-Michel basilica may be one of Bordeaux's grandest places of worship, but it comprises a disproportionately small clock. We encountered Bordeaux clockmakers Guignan during the first rounds of Invisible Bordeaux clocks: Gaston Guignan founded his business in 1850 and the company operated for 100 years.
Another Guignan clock, a near-identical model, can be spotted from a distance within the grounds of wine traders Lucien Bernard in the Belcier (now also known as Euratlantique?) district near Saint-Jean railway station. Currently out of order.
Students hanging around outside Lycée Montesquieu near Jardin Public do not need to refer to their mobile phones to keep track of time, as this clock does the job just fine. Interestingly, it is self-branded, with the school's name written on the clockface.
This four-quartered clock, which is currently out of order, can be seen on the exterior of Saint-Martial church in the Chartrons district. Like others documented in previous Invisible Bordeaux compilations, this was the work of Levallois-Perret clockmakers Brillié.
This double-faced clock can be found in Galerie Tatry in the Chartrons district. It is also out of order. Despite being under cover, it appears to be a popular haunt for birds, hence its current state of dirtiness.
OK, so this clock is not in working order for obvious reasons (it's stuck on 3 o'clock!). It can be seen on Rue de Grassi, next to the Fémina theater. According to Robert Coustet's Nouveau Viographe de Bordeaux, the bas-relief feature was conceived by the architect Jean-Jacques Valleton to enhance the exterior of this 1877 building, which was originally a public auction house. The carvings therefore represent the kinds of objects customers might have expected to be bidding on.
We'll finish off with this 1990 handpainted sundial on the south-eastern flank of a building on Rue du Puits-Descazeaux (the small square has even unofficially been given the name Place Raymond-Colom). As you can see, given the direction in which it is facing, the clock is only operational until early afternoon. When I was there on a sunny day in February, it was more like 11:30, not 10:30 as displayed, so whoever conceived the sundial permanently set it to summertime hours!
> Click here for part 1 and part 2 of the Invisible Bordeaux clock compilation!> Big thanks to readers Philippe Billé and Conchi for suggesting some of the clocks that feature on this page!
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> All these lovely clocks have also been stuck back-to-back in this short motion picture. Sit back and enjoy!
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