THE man who ensured that the region’s tourism capital always ran on time has died at the age of 87.

For decades Geoffrey Newey was York’s “clockmaster general” – making, restoring and winding many of the city’s public timepieces.

His daily rounds of winding and inspecting took him round more than 200 clocks each year – those including on most of the city’s many churches.

The first clock he wound was that on the roof of the Castle Museum and he wound it every week for more than 65 years. He also wound the Minster clock every day for many years.

Both his grandfather and father were clockmakers before him and he was apprenticed into the family business at the tender age of 14, learning all the intricacies of the art.

And apart from a brief stint on National Service – appropriately as an instrument-maker in the Royal Engineers – he carried on practising his skills in the city for the rest of his life.

And among his many creations was the great clock on St Martin-le-Grand Church, overhanging Coney Street, one of the city’s busiest shopping thoroughfares.

He built it from scratch to replace an earlier clock that was destroyed by wartime bombing – and its 70ft drive is probably still the most complex in the city.

Mr Newey’s daughter Sarah Goldsmith said his death was "a sad loss for the city”.

She added: "It's what he was born to do. Never took a sick day, never took a holiday.”

Mr Newey was awarded the MBE and afterwards he said: "It is really flattering that someone has recognised my work and nominated me. I never ever thought it would happen to me. It really is quite splendid."

His wife of 33 years, Angela, died in 2007 and after a fall at his York home in 2011, in which he broke his femur, Mr Newey moved to a care home in the nearby village of Stamford Bridge.

But even there he carried on working in a little shed until his health began to decline. He died last Wednesday, surrounded by family and friends.

A memorial service will be held for Mr Newey at York Minster at 1.30pm on March 4, following his cremation at 11.40am at Bishopthorpe.