The Man in the Clock: Paddington Station’s Most Surprising Secret

Paddington Station is a place of movement—commuters rushing for trains, tourists dragging suitcases, and the ever-watchful bronze bear keeping an eye on it all. But if you look up as you exit onto Eastbourne Terrace, you might notice something unusual. In a glass-encased clock, there’s a man inside. Or at least, it seems that way.

This isn’t some forgotten railway worker trapped in a timekeeping purgatory. It’s an artwork—one of London’s most delightful and unexpected pieces of public art. The clock is officially called “Real Time”, part of a series by Dutch designer and artist Maarten Baas, who has been playfully challenging the way we perceive time for years. His installation at Paddington is one of several in the Real Time series, where actors manually “operate” clocks in real-time through carefully filmed video loops. The result? An uncanny, hypnotic illusion of a man continuously erasing and redrawing the hands of the clock every single minute.

The Art of Timekeeping

Baas first debuted his Real Time series in 2009, blending performance art with functional design. Each clock in the series features a 12-hour film where someone—sometimes Baas himself—painstakingly marks the time by hand. The Paddington installation, unveiled in 2021, is a continuation of this concept, seamlessly blending into its surroundings while offering a whimsical surprise to those who notice it.

The figure inside Paddington’s clock is dressed in Victorian-era work clothes, a nod to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineering genius behind the station itself. This historical reference gives the piece an added depth—bridging past and present, artistry and function.

A Clock That Works (Sort Of)

Unlike traditional clocks, which operate with the precision of gears and quartz movements, Baas’s creation relies on human effort—or at least the convincing illusion of it. Every minute, the silhouetted figure erases and redraws the hands, maintaining the illusion of perpetual motion. It’s both charming and a little existential—the idea of a worker forever marking time, never resting, always caught in the loop of minutes and hours.

For unsuspecting passersby, it can be a moment of genuine surprise. “Hang on—did that guy just wipe off the clock hands?!” The double-take effect is part of what makes this installation so special. It transforms an everyday glance at the time into an experience—an interaction between the viewer, the artwork, and the concept of time itself.

The Paddington Station Easter Egg

Unlike many public artworks, this one doesn’t announce itself. There’s no plaque explaining its origins, no grand unveiling ceremony. Instead, it exists quietly, waiting for the observant commuter to notice it.

And perhaps that’s what makes it so special. In a city where everyone is in a rush, where schedules are tight, and where time is money, Baas has created a reason to stop—even just for a second—and really look at time. The next time you’re passing through Paddington, take a moment to seek out the Real Time clock and the man inside. You might find yourself watching for longer than you expected.