Christopher StJ H Daniel MBE

Christopher Daniel

 

Suninfo is very sad to report the death of the UK's pre-eminent Sundial Designer, Christopher St J H Daniel in the early morning of the 17th May 2022. Doreen and he had been together for over 41 years.
Christopher was arguably the most prolific designer of sundials in the UK today. His works are to be found all over the country and range from private commissions to major public works and to restorations of old and damaged dials.

His other dial related work extends to such things as designs for 'ex libra' library inserts, logos, The BSS logo itself and even to poetry. Christopher was appointed MBE in the Birthday Honours of 2013 for his services to the History of Marine Navigation, Timekeeping and Sundials.  The archive of Christopher Daniel’s work is held at the National Watch and Clock Museum, 514 Poplar St, Columbia, PA 17512, United States. Science, history, art, and his works of a life time are all represented in the Daniel collection which will shortly be available to researchers.

Christopher Daniel had been the regular author of 'The Sundial Page' of Clocks Magazine for twenty years from 1988, after he took over the editor's role from Noel Ta’Bois. His first contribution to the magazine was an in-depth article on stained-glass sundials, in the April 1987 issue, with a checklist of such dials that were still extant in the British Isles. In later issues, he also wrote in-depth articles on the Sundials of Malta and those great horizontal sundials in Portugal that used to regulate the flow of water in the vineyards.

Christopher was born on 13th November 1933 in ‘Maybourne’, his maternal grandfather’s house, in Sydenham, in the London Borough of Bromley in Kent. In 1947, Christopher went to school at Pangbourne Nautical College, near Reading in Berkshire, where he enjoyed the naval discipline, acquired an interest in submarines, particularly German U-boats, and reluctantly learned the rudiments of navigation – a subject which, just a few years later, was to become close to his heart. In 1955, after taking his initial professional examinations, Christopher joined the great passenger line, which had long attracted him, the P&O Steam Navigation Company with the rank of 4th Officer, and, at about the same time, he also joined the Royal Naval Reserve, with the rank of ‘Probationary Acting’ Sub-Lieutenant. In this capacity he sailed the world in various different ships, including cargo ships and passenger ships – mainly on the Australian run, but also to the Far East – and in warships, including coastal minesweepers and frigates.

After a thirteen year career at sea, Christopher Daniel joined the staff of the National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in 1964, working in the Department of Navigation & Astronomy. From 1967 onwards, his early curatorial responsibilities encouraged him to make a particular study of sundials and dialling literature. In 1972 he undertook his first ‘sundial’ design, which was the armillary symbol of the newly established Nautical Institute, which was to set him on course for a later third career in sundial design. Also, in this same year, he published his first small contribution to dialling literature: Sundials – The Common Vertical in N.W. Kent, (1972).

Granted sabbatical leave by the Museum, he returned again to the sea briefly, joining the reproduction of Francis Drake’s famous ship, the Golden Hinde, as second-in-command, (1973-1975). During the course of the voyage from Plymouth to San Francisco, he used copies of period Tudor navigation instruments, carrying out a programme of observations in the Atlantic and on passage up the Pacific seaboard to San Francisco. In 1976, following his return to the National Maritime Museum, he was given responsibility for Education Services and in 1979 he became Head of the Department of Museum Services. In 1977, Christopher designed the now well known ‘dolphin’ equinoctial mean-time sundial at Greenwich, celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and, in 1979, this was followed by a sculptured vertical sundial for the new premises of the Marine Society and the Nautical Institute at Lambeth. In 1980, he delineated the horizontal sundial which was presented by the VC & GC Association to HM The Queen Mother, to celebrate her 80th birthday, set up in the Doll’s House garden of the Royal Lodge at Windsor.

In 1986, after twenty-two years, he took early retirement from the Museum, pursuing his third career as a sundial designer, author and lecturer. Also, in 1986, his most lasting and evidently popular contribution to dialling literature was published, which was his Shire album 'Sundials'. In 2004, Shire Publications upgraded this little album to a more substantial book in full colour. By 2008, this work, already described as the best introduction to the subject, had sold over 26,500 copies, which must surely be a record in such a limited field. However, within two years, in 1989, he joined with three others to form the British Sundial Society, which soon had a five hundred strong membership - sadly now depleted after his retirement as Chairman - which has established itself with an enviable reputation across the world. Christopher Daniel designed the Society’s ‘equinoctial’ sundial symbol and was the Chairman and until his death President of the organisation, following the untimely death of Dr Andrew Somerville, in 1990.

Other than the sundial designs already mentioned, Christopher’s most notable works include the four sundials on St Margaret’s, Westminster (now reduced to three after the recent restoration of the original clock); the reconstructed ‘17th century’ vertical sundial in HM Tower of London; the vertical declining mean-time noon-mark sundial at Green College, Oxford to celebrate the bicentenary of the Radcliffe Observatory; the ‘Nelson’ vertical declining sundial at Chatham (sadly removed a few years ago by the local Council after an act of what must surely still be regarded as near vandalism) and which ‘tracked’ the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October, indicating the time of Nelson’s death; the Sir Francis Drake commemorative stained-glass sundial in Buckland Abbey, in Devon; the 17th century-style stained-glass sundial in the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall in York; the equinoctial stainless steel armillary sundial, marking the centenary of the Savoy; and very many others.

Christopher served as Deputy Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners for the year 1989/90, during the period when HRH the Prince of Wales was titular Master, and he designed the Company’s commemorative ‘human’ analemmatic sundial for the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, in Staffordshire. It must be said that he has probably written more about sundials than anyone else has done, bearing in mind that he produced more than 240 articles for Clocks alone, not to mention all his other publications!

Forwarding address for Christopher's partner for condolences etc: Mrs D Bowyer, c/o The Secretary British Sundial Society, 99 Western Road, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 1RS

Christopher Daniel MBE: |Christopher Daniel's article about the Faversham Noon Mark |The Christopher Daniel Archive Announcement |Bibliography Christopher Daniel's publications and articles
| Portfolio Christopher Daniel's Dial Restoration Projects| Christopher Daniel's Dialling Commissions|Christopher Daniel's note for the Highgate School OB magazine| The Life and Times of BSS President Christopher StJ H Daniel|
 

 

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