Here we archive some of the older entries from SunInfo: but here we show only those from 2018 onwards (Want pre 2018?)

This is where we place the more recent older stories from the SunInfo page after they have been removed from the main page because we do have to make room for more recent news.  So, if you want to look for something you once saw on SunInfo which is not there now, here's the place to look - alongside SunInfo Entry Archive 1.htm.  Entries here are removed when their topic is less immediate or relevant- so they will not necessarily be in date order.  They are frequently dated with their original dates of insertion or those of their amendment on the SunInfo page and they are placed here in order of their removal from the SunInfo web page.  NB: Please note that links in this archive that are made to entries on other external websites are not maintained by SunInfo so occasionally some really old links here may not work.

Athens' Tower of the Winds Opens  The so-called Horologion of Andronikos Kyrrhestes in Athens is an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower and early timepiece situated in the Roman Agora. It still features a combination of sundials, a water clock, and it probably held a weather vane too. Thought by some to have been built by Andronicus of Cyrrhus around 50 BC but possibly by another even as early as the 2nd century BC, the Athens Ephorate of Antiquities began cleaning and conserving the structure in 2014 and this has just been completed! The North American Sundial Society NASS has an excellent article about this fascinating building. Read it Here

30.08.16

The Dollar Academy Sundial Dollar is one of the 'Hillfoots' Villages of Clackmannanshire lying as it does between Stirling and St Andrews.  Its famous school, the Dollar Academy lies in the town and its main school building is a striking neoclassical design by the eminent Scottish architect William Henry Playfair.

When an additional school building was needed for modern languages and economics, the Westwater building was designed and completed at the end of June 2015. It is named after George Westwater, a private in the 1/4th Battalion, Royal Scots QER, who was killed at Gallipoli on 28 June 1915 at the age of 21, almost one 100 years to the day prior to the building’s completion.

In time for the formal opening on the 23 March 2016 by Lord Brodie, a declining vertical sundial incorporating a sphere, was commissioned. The sphere demonstrates how the sun's light travels round the Earth in the course of the day. The two sided panel carries text on the reverse showing the Equation of Time and the longitude and latitude and the back half of the sphere emerges from the the reverse of the panel.

See more here and here

02.10.16

We celebrate John Harrison The 3rd April 2018 would have been his 325th birthday. Courtesy (and copyright) of Google Inc who on the day placed this excellent Doodle on their website, we too would like to mark the life and more importantly the determination of self-taught John Harrison, winner of the 1714 Longitude Prize which had been put up  to prevent naval disasters. The Board of Longitude offered a reward of £20,000 to anyone who could devise a navigational instrument that could be used to determine a ship's longitude to within 30 miles even after a long sea voyage.
Harrison set to work in 1728 and completed it seven years later in 1735. He followed up this feat with three more watches that were even smaller and more accurate than his first.

03.04.18

Dial of the Month. Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, Ragusa, Sicily.

This month we show the sundial that is on the facade of the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in Ragusa, Sicily. The dial is delineated in Italian hours (shown in black). The red lines show the equinox and mid summer declination lines and the Taurus/Cancer zodiac symbols. The dial lies at 36.93N, 14.75E and appears to decline approximately S105 degs W.

At the bottom are the words 'LINE S. VINC. Ferreri'.

Click the image for two photographs.

25.09.16   Photo ©copyright VL Thomson, 2016.

A Cumbrian Riders' Dial can be found in the lovely churchyard of Hall Waberthwaite in Cumbria on the shore of the Esk Estuary.  Installed in 1830 in memory of the Rev J Stanley, it is mounted on a pedestal five or so feet high, placed there for horse riders! 

The dial is well made by Watkins & Hill and is nicely and accurately delineated. Set on a moulded square plinth, turned upright, and moulded square top with inset circular brass plate and gnomon. Read about it in a recent Guardian article

17.08.16

The Istiwak clock that shows dhuhur and asr prayer times. The Grand Mosque of Surakarta in Central Java still uses a sundial, locally known as an ‘istiwak clock’, to determine the exact time for Muslims in the city to perform dhuhur (midday) and asr (afternoon) prayers. Although Muslims now use modern clocks for prayer time guidance, the istiwak clock remains the main attraction for people to visit the Surakarta Grand Mosque. Read more about this interesting dial from the Jakarta Post. 30.12.16

The June 2017 edition of the BSS Bulletin is available to Members. In this edition:

The Brighton i360, a Giant Gnomonic Possibility - Frank King
In the Footsteps of Thomas Ross. Part 19 Some Sundials of East Lothian - Dennis Cowan
The Navicula: Made in Medieval East Anglia? - John Davis
Newly Reported Dials 2016 - John Foad
Throwing Light on a Sundial at Newstead Abbey - John Wilson
A Replacement Armillary Dial for Christchurch Park Ipswich - John Davis
A Curious Oxford Sundial - Frank King
Two Interesting Slate Dials - Mike Cowham
Allan Mills - Obituary - John Davis (The WUR Obituary}
A Very Personal Sundial - Ortwin Feustel
Review BSS Annual Conference: Oxford, 21-23 April 2017 - Jackie Jones & Jenny Brown
Minutes of the 28th BSS Annual General Meeting, Oxford, April 2017
A Host of Fundials - John Lester
13.07.17

A New Polar Sundial designed by BSS Member David Payne has now been placed in Farrows Wood as a further extension to the fascinating Burlingham Walks Sundial Trail in Norfolk, UK.  The dial has been dedicated to the memory of Kevin Pettigrew with the quote from Sylvia Plath "There Was a Beautiful Time".

Celebrating 115 years since the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism

On 17 May 1902, Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais found a corroded chunk of metal which turned out to be part of the world's first computer and became known as the Antikythera Mechanism.
The Google Doodle of May 17 2017 commemorates the 115th anniversary of the device's discovery showing just how a rusty remnant can open up a skyful of knowledge and inspiration.
Read more about this here

17.05.17

Frans Maes has recently recovered the information prepared by the late Fer de Vries on the construction of an Hemispherium. 
He has now very kindly placed it on his own website here.

The Dial at Sherborne Castle is listed as SRN 1929 in the UK's National Register. It was first recorded in 1992 and hasn't been recorded frequently since. Also it isn't easy to study. Set high on the tower to the left of the entrance to this delightful castle it is a pedimented vertical declining dial which declines slightly East.

Click on the image here for a close up. 

Image taken 13.10.16 at 13:38:46 GMT

Although these images do not show it well, an observer at the tower can just discern traces of its Roman numerals which are now only faintly visible. Oddly, these numerals appear to be recessed rather than proud so suggesting that the dial was originally engraved as well as painted rather than simply painted on a flat ground. (Usually formerly painted dials protect the background from erosion so resulting in raised lettering).

Apart from this, the dial, its mounting and its gnomon are in good condition.  A pity that it hasn't yet been restored to its earlier elegance.

10.10.16

Oldest or second oldest surviving portable sundial? Found in Herculaneum in the 1760s, a portable sundial in the shape of an Italian ham has been copied and a 3D replica generated in order to test its design.  The dial is hung from a string so that the sun falls on its left side, allowing the attached 'pig’s tail' gnomon to cast a shadow across the grid.
The user aligns the dial so that the tip of the tail’s shadow falls on the vertical line for the current month whereupon the hour may be estimated from the number of horizontal lines from the top horizontal line to the horizontal line closest to the tip of the shadow.

Wesleyan University’s Christopher Parslow, a professor of classical studies and Roman archaeology who made the 3-D reconstruction claims it does represent a knowledge of how the sun works, and it can be used to tell time. 

Read more of the dial    The original as found in the Villa dei Papiri has been dated to the 1st Century AD and can be seen here.

Archaeologists Find Rare Ancient Roman Sundial Cambridge University archaeologists digging at the Roman town of Interamna Lirenas [between Rome and Naples] have uncovered a near-complete Roman sundial still inscribed with its owner's name!

Read more about this unusual discovery here

08.11.2017

An Unusual Birthday Sundial. Back in 2012 Christopher Daniel took a commission to design a sundial for the husband of a friend on the occasion of the husband's 40th Birthday.  It was to a very tight timescale yet nevertheless the outcome was not only a success but it also culminated in a very unusual inclined horizontal dial with some additional features of interest to all diallists.

Read about the commission in this edited account of Christopher's subsequent article which was first published in the BSS Bulletin here.

11.04.17

The Formal (Re) Dedication of the Territorial Sundial on the Washington State Capitol Campus (USA) took place on January 30th 2018.

Retrograde Asteroid Discovered Asteroid 2015 BZ509 had already been revealed as having its origins in another star system but it is now thought to be a permanent member of our solar system. The 'visitor' is about 3km across and was first spotted in late 2014 by the Pan-Starrs project at the Haleakala Observatory in Hawaii. Experts quickly realised that the asteroid travelled around the sun in the opposite direction to the planets – a retrograde orbit. Additional studies now show that it has probably been in this stable orbit for 4.5bn years and the discovery of a body from another star system in the midst of the solar system is quite extraordinary.
More here.

22.05.18

Ancient stone calendar hidden for 900 years. Archaeologists suggest that a slab of sandstone in Arizona’s Verde Valley may have served as a calendar or as a clock hundreds of years ago, marking the passing seasons and the onset of important agricultural periods by the position of the sun.
 

Roughly 1,000 petroglyphs were carved into the rock as far back as 900 years ago by the Southern Sinagua people. As the sun’s position in the sky changes, the light and the shadows cast by features in the rock line up with specific images that each hold agricultural or ceremonial significance. More can be seen about this here

19.05.18

The Dial of Ahaz  December 2017 marked ten years since Christopher Daniel wrote his article covering the mystery of the Dial of Ahaz in his then regular column of 'Clocks Magazine'.  Read the article for yourself  Here and see what some others have concluded about this ancient mystery. 20.10.17

BSS Newbury 2018.  This annual one day meeting, open to all not just BSS Members, will take place TODAY  Saturday 22 September 2018 from 9am to 4pm at Sutton Hall, Stockcross near Newbury RG20 8LN. No entry fee but a door donation of £10 is suggested to cover expenses.  Rough Programme: Morning: Informal gathering and display of exhibits, Bookstall, Short 10-minute talks from 10:00 am. Bring a picnic lunch and chat with friends indoors or in the lovely grounds. Hot and soft drinks provided. Afternoon: Further short 10-minute talks/chats. Tour around all exhibits. More information from David Pawley. 09.09.18

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NOW ON MARKING TIME; A JOINT EXHIBITION BY TIM CHALK AND SASKIA GAVIN. “Marking Time” is an exploration of the passage of time through artworks, some overtly measuring time, others expressing different experiences of it through the medium of sculpture, drawing and jewellery. Mark your diary for 'Marking Time' - NOW!  In the meantime click on the image here to look at Tim Chalk's website 21ST - 29TH SEPTEMBER 2018; At the DUNDAS STREET GALLERY, 6 Dundas Street, EDINBURGH EH3 6HZ.

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A 'Mayan style' projection sundial Courtesy of an article on the NASS website we learn that Ruben Nohuitol of Queretaro, Mexico has built his own solarium which he calls his “cosmic room” to observe the rays of the sun throughout the year.  Have a look at his extraordinary website here.  There are several other pages of intriguing displays to look at too.   27.09.17

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Way back in 1991 The UK's Cumbrian sundial super-sleuth Robert Sylvester first recorded the 18C sundial at the Parish Church of St Mary's Church in High Hesket, It was designated SRN 1006 in the National register. By then the 700x800mm sandstone dial had split, was missing its gnomon and it had been removed from the wall and placed in store. Then, on Saturday 2nd April 2005 a replica was rededicated by the Rev. Beth Smith after a three-year restoration project by members of Hesket Local History Group.  The dial is notable for its two lengthy mottoes. 

 

Have a look at it by clicking on the thumbnail here.

 

Photos Trevor Harris, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13691987

20.05.17

 

 

 

 

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The June 2017 BSS Newsletter reports a concern about declining society membership, about how the Society might use social media to advertise itself and about the possibility of establishing an online discussion forum. Since publication of this Newsletter SunInfo has been contacted by several members and former members to express their surprise since every one of these issues was comprehensively discussed by Christopher Daniel's council way back in 2011, a summary of ideas to remedy a reducing membership was then given to the current council when they took office but from the information so far received, it appears that little or none of these has been considered let alone have any of the solutions been enacted in the intervening years!  More than that, the 2011 social media implementation of the Society's Facebook page has never been updated for over four years and, guess what? its designer had already built in a discussion forum and even made provision for future advertising facilities none of which have simply ever been tried, let alone used.  Indeed former trustees recall that the concept of using Facebook for any sort of advertising was specifically abandoned almost from the time the present council took office - despite the easy way costs for it could be limited. Perhaps then, it's little wonder that these five (or so) years of council inaction on such well understood and well documented issues have finally led to today's problems?  Maybe the Society would be better placed now had other circumstances prevailed? 22.07.17

Nearly one year on...  It's now coming up for one year since Dudley Council reinstated a long lost sundial which went missing from Stourbridge town centre in the 1980s and which was unveiled at its new home in Mary Stevens Park on the 10th October 2016.
The sundial, which had been erected in a small public garden next to the town clock and market hall by King Edward VI Grammar School in 1952 to mark the quarter centenary of its charter, became damaged before disappearing from the town.  It is presumed that the sundial was removed in the early 1980s when the garden was replaced by the Crown Centre shopping development.  It's a pity that Medway Council in Kent cannot do likewise with Christopher Daniel's wonderful Nelson Dial which has been so ignorantly removed from the town centre of Chatham. Dudley's council are indeed enlightened, and are to be congratulated. Medway Council most certainly are not.

04.09.17

Christopher Daniel's 1981 Trigon! A real discovery this!! Way back in 1981 BSS President Christopher Daniel MBE drew out for himself a very simple design for a Trigon.

Such devices were used long ago to lay out sundials on any fixed surface and they are useful when the surfaces are not as accessible as one might wish.  Modern versions usually make use of theodolite mechanisms and a laser but such isn't necessary.  This hand drawn diagram explains the theory and demonstrates the use of this device and all on one page too! 

View the page here - or click on the thumbnail.

01.03.17

Charity Commission confirms Donors' Rights.  In February 2017 and as a part of a public response, the Charity Commission of England and Wales issued a concise summary of the duties of charities in respect of their activities and, more importantly their accountability to donors, beneficiaries and indeed the public. The short summary says:   It is important that the financial activities of charities are properly recorded and their financial governance is transparent. Charities are accountable to their donors, beneficiaries and the public. Donors to charity are entitled to have confidence that their money is going to legitimate causes and reaches the places that it is intended to. This is key to ensuring public trust and confidence in charities. SunInfo much welcomes this important statement and all the policies that now lie behind it behind it, not least those in respect of the operation of the BSS Library which - after suggestions that it should even be closed - has only recently been subjected to significant concerns as to its long term viability. 22.02.17

RHS Gardens at Hyde Hall are to be congratulated! An April visit to the gardens at Hyde Hall near Chelmsford in Essex, by one of SunInfo's correspondents revealed that a floodlight had been positioned above the vertical sundial on the gable end of one of the out buildings there. See the photo on the left. 

When this was brought to the attention of the management of RHS the problem was very swiftly addressed; the light removed and even two nearby mature trees that screened the dial removed also.

As can be seen in the second image, the sundial now 'shines in its own glory' once again.

Notification of the main problem to the final fix was accomplished in only 17 days!  That really is amazing.

RHS Hyde Hall management are much to be commended.

SunInfo visitors might consider dropping in when next they are in the area - there's even more to Hyde Hall than just the sundial!

28.04.17

The Dial at Mackerye End is rarely seen since it is a painted stone declining vertical dial dating back to the 18/19thC and mounted on an end wall of the manor house, deep inside its own grounds. In truth it is not a particularly unusual dial though it does indicate time intervals down to 5 minutes and is well constructed.  The images here also show a pre-WW2 drawing of the house - with dial in place and an approximate calculation of the dialplate using the declination of S13W established here by using Google Earth and the alignment of the roof line of that wing of the house. It shows a close correlation though interestingly, it is slightly different to the original - probably indicating that the actual wall on which the dial is mounted is not quite in line with the roof and in turn, there is a small difference in estimated declination!  Such are the vicissitudes of 18thC architecture... Click on the images for larger versions.

03.06.18 [photo © CPowers, 2018]

A Singular Cross Dial in Moorfields - Graham Stapleton
In the Footsteps of Thomas Ross. Part 23: West Fife Sundials - Dennis Cowan
Some Early French Dials - Mike Cowham
Newly Reported Dials 2017 - John Foad
A Sundial Commission with a Circular Enoch Calendar - Alastair Hunter
Livery Schools Link Showcase Event 2018 - Joanna Migdal
Sundial at Hotel Casino Ridola, Matera, South Eastern Italy - Martin Jenkins
The Very Last Scratchings of an Old Bird - Tony Moss
Miniature Sundials for Some Wonderful People - Valery Dmitriev
A Sundial that Unites: Teddy Park Sundial, Jerusalem, Israel - Lupe Feria
North American Sundial Conference, St Louis, August 2017 - Geoff Parsons
BSS Photographic Competition 2017-18 - David Hawker
BSS Annual Conference: Norwich, 20-22 April 2018
A Dial Displaced by a Bridge: Dial Square, Norwich - David Payne

13.06.18

 A Very Wet Sundial at Hatfield House! The sundial at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire UK was installed in June 2011 in the garden near the Old Palace. It was designed by William Andrewes of Concord, Massachusetts, USA and is shown here on a very wet Spring day!

In many ways a conventional sundial but there is a twist!  The dialplate is made up of a gnomonic map with the location of the dial at its centre.

Explanatory plaques are arranged around the supporting pedestal and a selection of images of these and of the dial itself can be seen, though sadly not made very easy to read because of the weather at the time.  More

A Real Victory for Science After an academic career of more than 30 years, Peter Ridd had his employment terminated as a professor of physics at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.  Peter had spoken out against the accepted orthodoxy that climate change was ‘killing’ the Great Barrier Reef. He was able to crowd fund his chance to prosecute the University by raising $AUS 250,000 in five days!  Peter writes: "My lawyers have told me that the judge handed down his decision and we seem to have won on all counts". Peter’s court case has enormous implications for the international debate about climate change, and for the ongoing crisis surrounding freedom of speech in academia. More here.  Full Judgement here 16.04.19, 18.04.19

St Martin's Cathedral, Leicester has an interesting declining dial on its otherwise South wall somewhat  to the right of the porch. The Cathedral is not built to the conventional E-W axis and the dial in fact declines approximately 15 degrees East.  Designated in the BSS Register as SRN 0854, it is some 600mm square. Its Motto reads: "Coeli Enarrant Gloriam Dei". The dial displats solar time from 5am to 3pm in hours. Curiously no half hour markers or actual hour lines are drawn. The dial's design encompasses four squares around a small centre boss each with carvings clockwise from the upper left: angel, bird, winged ox, winged lion. There are some traces of gold infill. Click on the image for a larger version 16.03.19   Image © VL Thomson 2019

Maciej Lose invites you! You are invited to the SOL OMNIA REGIT sundial exhibition in Wroclaw, Poland.  The opening ceremony will take place on the Day of Equinox, 20th March 2019 at 13:00 CET (13:01:29 solar time) in the Mathematical Tower of the main building of University of Wroclaw, 1 University Square. However the exhibition will remain open for about a year. Here there is the 1791 meridian line as well some 87 items on display including dials by: John Allen, Robert Jole, John Rowley, Thomas Wright, William Deane (attr.), John Coggs, Samuel Saunders, Thomas Heath, Benjamin Cole II etc. More Here (then use Google translate to convert to your language) 11.03.19

The Famous Blackamoor Dial of Dunham Massey. This important National Trust dial dates from 1721, is 450mm in diameter and is listed by Heritage England as "Early C18 and is thought to be either by Van Nost or by Carpentiere". Stone with a bronze dial. 2-step stone base with nosings on which is a kneeling African figure clad in leaves carrying the sundial above his head. Nat Grid Ref: SJ7350787376. Thought to be one of  five such original figures only three of which are known today. Click on the image here to see a few close-ups of this now (sadly) very corroded dial which nonetheless can still (just!) be used to tell the approximate solar time. 16.02.19    (© VL & M Thomson, 2019)

New H.E. record for a pedestal at Wardley Hall. Here's a Valentine's Day present for those interested in dial pedestals! An Historic England list entry discovered by SunInfo on 14-Feb-2019 describes a pedestal (sundial shaft), now forming the base of a table. C18. Stone. Bulbous stone baluster with moulded head and base. The dial has been replaced by a stone table top probably during the C19. Listing:  NGR: SD 75787 02185. Not often a pedestal gets listed without the dial! Can anyone send in a picture of the pedestal that we can publish?  Click on the picture for Google's locational image. (©Google Inc) 14.02.19

The History of UK Summertime/DST In 2016 the BBC broadcast a programme describing how Britain introduced Summertime (daylight saving time) 100+ years ago – a move that was quickly followed by countries worldwide. A quarter of the world now use DST. Like it or not, there’s a persistent British campaigner you can thank.. He came to be supported by Winston Churchill and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle too. Read about the builder from Chislehurst who changed the world! And why his sundial memorial is in a clearing of Petts Wood. 01.09.18

Barnwell sundial 'stands the test of time'.  On a bright, sunny day outside the Barnwell County Courthouse (that's in South Carolina, USA) there's no need to check your watch to know what time it is.  It is said possibly to be the only 'free-standing' vertical sundial left standing in the USA - can this really be?  Installed in 1858 after it was given to the county by State Senator Joseph D. Allen it has recently been restored.  It includes an EoT correction table and is additionally unusual to British eyes in having Arabic numerals viewed from the inside of a vertical dial.  Read more about this recent restoration. 03.07.18

The Clifford A. Phaneuf Environmental Center in Springfield's Forest Park, Mass, USA  dedicated a new sundial built by artist James Kitchen and commissioned by the Edward Peck family in memory of Ruth Mahoney Peck who shared a great love for the park.  The dial is fabricated in steel using a skate blade as the gnomon and a saw blade as a base. It was declared 'open' on June 21 2018. More photos, Short Youtube clip 04.07.18 Marking Independence Day

Astonishing Neolithic Clay Disc from E Jutland appears to record 2 stages of a full solar eclipse on 5 May 2789 BC. Dr Oosthuizen (Reader in Medieval Archaeology, University of Cambridge) suggests the sun is the larger circle, its rays radiating out like a child's drawing; the moon approaches it from bottom right, & then moves in front of the sun - all as per the diagram....  Click on the images for slightly larger view.

But, might this be akin to one of the Los Millares multi-sun artefacts known from Andalucía, Spain, which appear to be connected with the visibility of the constellation Orion and the time of deer rutting? What do you think?

The Website Devoted to the Burlingham Walks Sundial Trail in Norfolk is now operative and may be seen here. 

A map of how to look round the seven sundials (and some mass dials on the church) is provided and the whole is accompanied by a series of photographs.

 The Sundial Atlas was started 8 years ago, on April 25th 2010, and today it has a new look with new software, renewed graphics, a new faster server and several new features.

There is a guide for users (home page, click 'Sundial Atlas' on the left, then click 'logo & guides').
 

Find The Sundial Atlas at http://sundialatlas.net or click the image
 

25.04.18

'Unrecorded' dial discovered on the BSS Conference coach tour.

This year's BSS conference reinstated the earlier practice of a coach tour of dials and by all accounts it proved a success, not least because a dial was spotted by one of the delegates which seems to be unknown as far as the UK National Register is concerned! The dial is located high on St George's Theatre in King Street, Great Yarmouth.  It is a West declining dial painted in bright colours.  Click on the image here for a closer look.

27.04.18

The Craigdarroch Dial - found under a bush!

A dial dated 1777 has been found hidden under bushes in an overgrown garden in a small village near Inverness. Known as the Craigdarroch stone after the place where it was found, it was recently restored by Macmillan Hunter Sundials of Edinburgh. It carries the remarkable motto “Each one that reads remember ye the time that is no more shall be.”
Read a little more about the dial HERE

21.04.18

The Sundial, Lichfield Cathedral, Staffordshire. This sundial, previously located near the South door of the Cathedral was removed in 1781 and re-erected in 1785 at the West end to regulate the clock on the tower.

It was removed again in 1881 and passed into private hands but it was returned to the cathedral in 1929 and put on a pedestal in its present position south of the nave.

It takes the form of a cube dial with gnomons and time scales on each face.

Photo 2009.  © David Rogers / Cathedral Sundial, Lichfield

20.04.18

A Roman Sundial dating to the 1st century B.C. has been  found in Interamna Lirenas, Italy. It was commissioned by a man named Marcus Novius Tubula to celebrate his election to the office of tribune of the plebs.

He had his name inscribed on the base of the sundial, and paid for the whole thing “De Sua PECUNIA,” or with his own money.

The dial is in astonishing condition and is complete with its inscription - a rare find indeed.

More information

06.05.18

Britain's beautiful secret sundials An article by Sophie Campbell in the Daily Telegraph in January 2018 drew attention to the many 'secret' sundials that exist in Britain.

She wrote: "They are simple, yet complex, a marriage of form and function, often beautiful, frequently unusable (no sun) and they require for their creation a particular combination of skills: mathematics and artistry.". 

Read the article and see its other links Here

Then read another article Here, this time from the Financial Times - this time all about the sundial designer putting a modern twist on ancient technology and the dials of David Harber.
18.06.18

Gibson lived 1805–58 and he constructed a long view from the Pavilion along the Pavilion path to steps and two vases, then to the sundial, seat and balusters.  The tapered pedestal is elegantly decorated but sadly  today's dial is without its gnomon. The dial plate is however competently laid out with an eight point compass, sun motif and complete with the slightly depressing motto 'Night Cometh'.

The pedestal my be viewed in more detail here and the dial plate itself here.

10.02.19 (Images copyright © VLThomson 2019)

 

The Huge Dial at Grieskirchen, Austria. This huge sundial was erected to mark the 400th anniversary of the town's elevation to municipal status.  Click on the thumbnail image here for more details. The dial now even has its own webcam too.  Read more about this interesting and educational dial, its connexion with Kepler and the live view of the new web cam Here 15.02.19

The Two Tatton Twins . Yes, we know that the word 'twins' implies 'two' but we just like a bit more alliteration!  Whatever, there are no fewer than two horizontal dials at Tatton Park in Cheshire.  Not discovered for a long time  - and one of them not apparently even yet recorded in the NT collections of such either - these sit there waiting to be admired. One is in the Rose garden (sometimes only on view from a distance because of the roses) and one is near the Italianate garden at the back of the house.  They are well worth a look. Click on the thumbnail images here for larger views and for a couple of close ups of the second dial.  Two interesting dials. 14.02.19   (Photos © VL Thomson 2019)

The Sundials of the Parks and Gardens of Edinburgh. Here we mark the Autumnal Equinox with an entry about some dials in Scotland!  Alastair Hunter of Macmillan Hunter Sundials, a company based in Edinburgh, recently organised a three hour summer walk around four parks in the City: Grange Cemetery, The Meadows, Fettes College and Inverleith Park . All proceeds were in favour of the charity YACHT —'Youth At CHurch Today'. Read all about it at the Hunter Macmillan web site here. 21.09.18

The Sundials of Wisley The Royal Horticultural Gardens at Wisley contain two sundials. The first is located at the entrance to the gardens - almost as you come in - and the second is in the Herb Garden. Both are now modern dials though one replaces an earlier horizontal dial by Barker. The gardens make a lovely day out and the two dials are interesting too. Click Here or on the image for more information and some images of the dials. Then admire 2018's dahlias! 05.09.18

The Sundial Society of Flanders, "Zonnewijzerkring Vlaanderen" has published all copies of their Bulletin from 1995 - 2017 as PDFs. They are in Dutch but can be read by those unable to read the language by using the usual Google facilities. These editions may be examined here and the Flanders Society Web site may be found here A Sundial Trail of the dials of Rupelmonde is here 31.08.18

A chance to see a real Merkhet The Merkhet (or merjet "instrument of knowing") was an ancient Egyptian timekeeping instrument. It involved the use of a bar with a plumb line and could be used during both morning and afternoon hours.  A short video clip shows one such in a museum Here Two of these instruments could also be used, together, to determine North. The merkhet consisted of a string with a weight attached to one end, enabling a straight line to be measured. For the operation to work, two merkhets were required, one aligned with Polaris, the North Pole star. If erected properly, and if a merkhet  was on hand, one could estimate quite accurately the time by observing the transits of certain stars as they crossed the meridian and came into alignment with the two merkhets. 17.07.18

Reinhold Kriegler SunInfo is very sad to report that the sundial enthusiast Reinhold Kriegler died on Saturday 23th March 2019 in Dessau. Over his lifetime he made many contributions to the field of gnomonics. For those who remember his extraordinary web site it still available to view and is at http://www.ta-dip.de/ or more specifically for his dialling work at http://www.ta-dip.de/sonnenuhren.html. In there he describes his on going interest in the Reinhold crater on the moon - not of course named after him but still precious to him nonetheless! Just one of the many comments says it all: "Kriegler exemplified the best of what a community of dialists would be like. The most civil, civilized, inoffensive, polite, considerate, member. Those attributes stand out, aside from his impressive website with its wide coverage of dials and dialists worldwide, and his own artistically-aesthetic dials". RIP. 26.03.19

The Delightful Dial of Dalemain in Cumbria The well known octagonal dial at Dalemain Country House by Richard Whitehead is dated 1688 and shows the time from 4am to 8pm in half, quarter and eighth hours on scales that lie inside the chapter ring and in minutes (with Arabic Nos) on the outer edge. Some of the actual hour lines on these inner scales are missing [eg 6 and 7pm]. There are both inward (arrow with H form) and outward (line and dot form) half hour markers. An elaborate inner 32 point compass with all points named [eg SEbE] and on an adjacent (outer) scale with its reciprocal [eg NWbW] so as to give the sun's bearing. the compass was designed to be used with vertical rod (not present) which was passed through holes in the gnomon. and centred on the compass. Markers on either side of the main 32 points indicate the width of this shadow for accurate centring. Two scales further divide each of the 32 points into 4 and 8 intervals. A half division is provided outside these scales (to the inside of the dial) and marked by an inward line with a three dot arrowhead. Wonderful pierced gnomon with scroll pattern, the whole mounted on an excellent panelled octagonal stone pedestal which is slightly fluted and with no visible base. Design Lat N 54d 40m.  More detailed pictures HERE dated May 2009. 28.02.19

Is this Dial still showing the time? The Colorado Transcript Newspaper dated 21st January 1909 had a small column remarking that sundials were still in common use in Mexico. The article showed a line drawing of one such high on a building but sadly its location was not identified so we are at a loss to know if the dial still exists.  Can any reader throw light on the location of this dial  and say if it might still be in existence? The newspaper entry may be read here. It makes interesting reading. 05.05.19

The Chantilly ‘Dôme’ Sundial is certainly rarely seen!  It is at the Chantilly Gardens North of Paris - inside the outdoor manège there,  an extraordinarily interesting part of the stables few otherwise get to see - unless there to witness an equestrian demonstration of course. The key equestrian shows and demonstrations take place beneath the 28 metre high majestic dome of the Great Stables, with its ring and its spectators' stands that can accommodate 600 people. Its recently restored fountain features the dates of construction of the Great Stables (1719-1735). The almost invisible sundial in the outside manège faces due South but has an horizontal gnomon. It is dated 1737. Click on the image to see a better version with more detail.  A nice dial. 13.05.19, 15.05.19    Images © VL Thomson 2019

The New Coulsdon Dial Peter Ransom has recently prepared the calculations for a sundial to honour the history of the clock tower that stood pride of place at the former Can Hill mental asylum hospital, Coulsdon.  It sits in the centre of what is now the Cane Hill Park development and it represents the diverse history of Coulsdon whilst acknowledging ‘noon’ not so much as 12pm, but the moment when the sun is at its highest point in the sky above that specific place.  More here Richard Jackson, a committee member of the residents’ association, called the sundial “exciting”, and said of the designer of the dial: “Holly Graham has produced a work of art that used historical documents left by the hospital residents, which includes a useful sundial. 14.12.20

Mystery of an Ancient Roman Gnomon Deciphered. Digital mapping has corrected a decades-old misconception about the famous relationship between the Ara Pacis, consecrated in 9 B.C., and the Obelisk of Montecitorio, a 6th century B.C. Egyptian relic that was brought from Heliopolis to Rome by Augustus, the empire’s founder.  The researchers’ models revealed that the true significance of the interaction between the monuments was not after all, the shadow on the Ara Pacis, but the location of the sun itself. Simulations showed that the Ara Pacis and the Obelisk of Montecitorio were aligned so that, when viewed from the nearby Via Flaminia, the obelisk would appear from behind the Ara Pacis with the sun positioned at its tip. This celestial phenomenon would have occurred not on Augustus’ birthday but on October 9, the date of the festival of the Temple of Palatine Apollo. Read more of this interesting discovery. 09.11.20

World Sundial Webcam Project A project that aims to visualize the rotation of the earth and therefore produce a real sense of the rotation at the observer is being established. It uses a website with live web camera streams from partner stations showing shadows of gnomons as they cross Noon LAT. The website displays the live stream of an automatically selected web camera. The selection is based on the actual availability, according L.A.T., and local weather conditions. These partner stations transfer their live stream to the server and hence to the Internet. Applications are encouraged from anyone wishing to provide a webcam - details at https://earthlat1200.org/ 17.11.20

Hitchin's Physic Garden Sundial This month's dial is the most unusual one that is in Hitchin's so-called Physic Garden.  The garden commemorates the first commercial production of herbs in 1846 by William Ransom, a member of a prominent local Quaker family.  It opened on 20th May 1990 in the grounds of Hitchin library and museum in Paynes Park. It is divided into four sections: Household; the William Ransom border; External Ailments; Internal Ailments. It contains a most unusual 1990 sundial in the form or a mortar and pestle dedicated to a late president of the Trust. The motto reads  "Disease doth oft rise above medicine". Click the image for a larger version. The dial was designed and made by Joanna Migdal (now Lady White). 30.03.18

COVENT GARDEN’S HIDDEN SHOPPING VILLAGE When Seven is Six!  Seven Dials was originally laid out by Thomas Neale, MP in the early 1690s, who cleverly laid out the area in a series of triangles to maximise the number of houses as, at the time, rentals were charged per foot of frontage and not per square foot of interiors. The names of the seven streets were chosen with the intention of attracting affluent residents, however some of the names have subsequently been simplified or changed because of duplication with other streets in London. They were originally: Little and Great Earl Street (now Earlham Street), Little and Great White Lyon Street (now Mercer Street), Queen Street (now Shorts Gardens) and Little & Great St. Andrew’s Street (now Monmouth Street). Some of the original street signs can still be seen attached to buildings in the area. Neale commissioned England’s leading stonemason, Edward Pierce, to design and construct the Sundial Pillar in 1693-4 as the centrepiece of his development in Seven Dials. The Pillar was topped by six sundial faces, the seventh ‘style’ being the column itself. [Click on the thumbnail for a larger version] In its day it was regarded as one of London’s ‘great public ornaments’ along with the layout and identity of the area that revolves around it. 24.11.20

The Sundials of the Castle and Collegiate Church of St. Michael of the city of Pforzheim, Germany are shown here. Sadly few documents exist today concerning the origin and history of either the clocks or the dials of the castle church. Nonetheless, it is known that until the 19th century the mechanical tower clocks had to be readjusted daily or weekly with the help of sundials, which were mostly nearby and in some cases even only as noon dials. The existence of the sundials at the castle church can today only be deduced from the beginning of the 19th century. The recently restored sundials shown here make use of the southwest corner of the church, because that area is illuminated by the sun all day long. They are relatively large and ideally located to make the time fully visible and they have been mounted high to discourage vandalism. Unfortunately, it is not clear from existing illustrations just how the original dials were executed. Even investigations during the restoration of 2014/15 gave no indication. Only the attachment points of the original gnomons could be seen.  The dials here have been wonderfully executed by Siegfried Netzband, (delineation) and Schorn, Marxzell (painting). Click on the image above to see both dials set around the corner of the church. 05.10.19 © & permission Siegfried Netzband 2019.

The Hugget Heliochronometers Brian Huggett and his wife enjoy visiting gardens, in part to gain inspiration for their own. Such outings in the summer of 2016 led him to consider installing a sundial in their garden. Knowing little about sundials, he inspected those they encountered and was dismayed to discover that none agreed with his watch. Even those that claimed to reflect clock time required additional consultation of a table or graph. ‘What we need,’ he said to his wife, ‘is a sundial from which clock time can easily be read by anyone.’ ‘Why don’t you make one?’ she replied. See the consequences of this suggestion here in two excellent articles. Heliochronometer I, Heliochronometer 2 12.08.18

WD& HO Wills Cigarette Cards Several decades ago the cigarette companies would insert give-away cards in their packs of cigarettes to encourage sales. These were issued on all sorts of topics in the hope that customers would collect them and so keep buying their packs.  The practice didn't last but even in the 1950's Wills kept the machinery maintained in case a 'cigarette card war' started again.  Here we have a link to the cards that they printed on Sundials - with that for Wimborne Minster shown in the thumbnail. Click that image to be able to see the obverse and reverse of these cards. There is a short decription of each dial on the reverse of each card. 21.10.20 Courtesy picclick.co.uk

The Summer Solstice and a Dihelion Sundial The Edinburgh sundial company Macmillan Hunter's latest newsletter reports that (surprisingly perhaps?) the summer solstice 2020 in Edinburgh was a day of beautiful sunshine. It really showed off their Dihelion dual sundial which can read the solstice and the equinox seasons as well as the usual daytime hours. The time shown here is before 8 in the morning solar time, or nearly 9 am in British Summer Time. It is still well before noon, when the horizontal rod is able to mark the passage of the four seasons by its shadow. Read more of this HERE 02.08.20   Image © Macmillan-Hunter Sundials, with permission

The Sad Dial at the Lygon Arms Hotel. The Lygon Arms Hotel in the Cotswolds district of the UK lies in the High Street,of Broadway, Worcestershire.  It is an old and established high quality hotel build from the local Sandstone.  This explains why the often missed sundial on the right hand front facade is no longer operational.  It does however still retain its unusual gnomon which is somewhat more ornate than those usually seen.  The dial must have been a Vertical South dial but sadly few if any markings remain.  This must surely be one case where re-engraving would be worthwile and not a violation of 'conservation' principles. Click on the image for a fuller picture - Can you see the dial?  See a closer image here and an even closer image here 22.04.20

Using two Sundials to destroy the idea of a flat earth!! Here's an ingenious YouTube clip that shows a way of using two sundials and a lamp to prove the earth cannot be flat. Additionally it includes a link to a place where you can print off a foldable paper sundial for any place on earth. How about that? Print a horizontal dial for anywhere on earth Use two sundials and a book to prove the earth is not flat! 18.03.19

The Vaux-Le-Vicomte Surprise...! A visit to the Chateau de Vaux-Le-Vicomte  in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km SE of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne département of France is always a delight. However when visiting the Grand Salon there you are in for a surprise because the tiled floor of the Salon is set out as a dial without an obvious aperture gnomon. Sadly nothing available to read about the salon mentions this nor does the plan being carried out for restoration.  Can diallists in the area please let SunInfo know the history of the dial or meridian line and whether it will be restored to its former glory?  Click on the image for more detail and see more of the floor markings of the Salon Here, Here and Here 17.05.19    Images © VL Thomson 2019

Fer De Vries' article of the month April 2003 This month's entry involves the identification of the bands of an armillary sphere - using their latin identification from long ago. This clear description proves an interesting way to discover the detail that is represented on any properly constructed Armillary Sundial. Click here or on the thumbnail to see a PDF of the details. 07.03.21 © De Zonnewijzerkring, 2021

Fer De Vries' article of the month March 2003 Fer wrote: It just came to us from out of the blue.  "A drawing of a sundial with calculations (1730), made for William IV, probably for the construction the sundial in the Prinsenhof garden in Groningen". That, to the Dutch Sundial Society, not surprisingly was interesting! Click the image or Here for the article 16.02.21 © De Zonnewijzerkring, 2021

Fer De Vries' article of the month Feb 2003  How much time is sundial time? Whenever we design a sundial for an arbitrary plane, we will also have to determine which hour lines to add. This choice depends on two factors: - The sun should be above the horizon where the sundial is located, i.e. it should be day - The sun should be on the correct side of the dial plane See how to solve for these issues. Here or by clicking the image. 08.02.21 © De Zonnewijzerkring, 2021

A Sundial Guide for the Extremadura Region of Spain. The first edition of the Guide of Sundials for the Extremadura region (interior SW) of Spain was published this last summer.  An electronic version of this guide (in pdf format) can now be downloaded free of charge.  Although this PDF is the full document in Spanish complete with images, the online page for individual dials can be read in most languages by simply right clicking and turning on Google Translate. Go HERE to explore this excellent Register of Dials or click on the image here. 17.01.21

Fer De Vries' article of the month Jan 2003 Here is Dutch diallist Fer De Vries' first available article for the Dutch Sundial Society.  It introduces the reader to the analemmatic sundial and as usual with Fer's contributions it add a little twist to our normal use for this type of dial. The article may be viewed in full by clicking on the thumbnail image or here. 10.01.21 © De Zonnewijzerkring, 2021

The Napier Dial At the southernmost tip of Africa, about two hours drive from CapeTown, lies the town of Napier, a natural and historical delight for visitors to South Africa. This little town lies at the foot of the Soetmuisberg Mountain Range and is home to many tourist attractions, not least the Napier Sundial. Locally accepted as the largest sundial, as well as the only vertical one, in South Africa. The Napier Sundial was erected by Danie du Toit in 1965, after years of observing the movements of the sun. It was when he read an article written by CJ Langenhoven on sundials which had been reprinted in 1936, that his interest was piqued. This sparked in Du Toit a special desire to create his own sundial. Click on the thumbnail image for a larger version. He duly approached the local municipality, which provided the materials and allowed him to erect the sundial outside the Municipal offices. It took him 18 months just to complete the markings for each minute - all based solely on his observations of the shadow on the dial. A most unusual example of a dial being constructed by observation. Using an accompanying table, which explains the corrections between the sundial’s time and standard time, it seems the time of day can still be determined to within an accuracy of 30 seconds. 22.12.20

The Meadows Dial This amillary sundial was erected in Edinburgh in commemoration of the opening of the International Exhibition by Prince Albert Victor of Wales on 8th May 1886. Shields on the sundial are carved with a crown, the arms of Edinburgh, a lion rampant and a castle. One inscription on the sundial reads, " Tak tent o' time ere time be tint" or 'Take account of time before your time is finished.' Quarry names are also on the blocks making up the shaft of the sundial. and on each of the lower facings several sayings. source: www.rcahms.gov.uk) 29.11.20

Tony Wood It is with great regret that SunInfo  noted the death of Tony Wood, in the early hours of 20th April 2022. His contribution to the recording of Mass Dials in particular was enormous. His funeral took place on 30th May 2021. SunInfo's own obituary may be found Here. 12.05.2022 ©SunInfo

The Good News and Bad News about a Dial. The discovery of a rarely seen great declining dial is rightly good news, as is the fact that clearly the dial in question has recently been carefully repainted. So, what then might be the bad news in the heading to this entry? This dial has only fairly recently been recorded. It is in Amptill in Bedfordshire, UK and the facts about it were the subject of an article in SunInfo's Dial Time 2018. Read about its problems here 13.09.18

The Dial at Kiftsgate Court Another lost original dial has been replaced at Kiftsgate Court in the garden there. Heather Muir created the wonderful garden, which until 1920 had consisted of a paved formal garden in front of the portico. Heather was helped and inspired by her lifelong friend Lawrence Johnston of Hidcote Manor which is close-by but it was Heather who decided that the garden should develop organically, rather than by planning everything first. This has given the garden a distinctly feminine feel, almost in direct contrast to the more masculine lines being employed by Johnston at Hidcote. A more recent development has been the addition of the new water garden that was once the tennis court.  The original dial has long gone and the inset in the top has been strangely filled but the replacement dial has character. Click the image or HERE to see more detail. 06.07.21

The Dire Dial of Hidcote Bartrim The gardens of Hidcote Bartrim in Gloucestershire are deservedly well known and admired by all. In 'Mrs Winthrop's Garden' there is a sundial  (SRN 5903) which has, like so many others, suffered from theft over the years. Today's version though is frankly a bit of a mess. Set on a lovely 1789 pedestal is a poor modern dial of the wrong size and with a rather twee motto.  On top of that the dial is not properly aligned. How much better with a better dial but how much greater the risk of another theft? Check out the dial HERE and judge for yourself. 03.07.21

Erin Beeston on his 'Relics of a Railway The Liverpool Road Station in Manchester has owned a quite spectacular vertical sundial for over 180 years which has been an object of fascination for over a century. In 1929 the sundial was removed from a plinth outside and placed in the offices of Grundy, the goods agent at the station until 1931. The sundial also featured in the Liverpool Echo in 1937, when it was photographed outside with a member of staff. We next see it in a 1939 Pathé film. Read Erin Beeston's interesting article HERE Click the image for a larger version 22.06.21  Courtesy Science & Industry Museum

The History Section of the Société Jersiaise The History Section of the Jersey Society in the Channel Islands, runs programmes of historical interest to the Islanders. Sometimes these are published on their web site.  Two in particular from the early years of the millennium are of interest to a wider sundial public and we give their links to these here.  1. Catching the Shadow  An Illustrated Talk on The Sundials of Jersey by David Levitt on 29 November 2001 2. A brief description of The Sundial at The Parish Church of St Peter In the Island of Jersey which was designed by Harriet James in 2004. 23.09.18

Revisiting an old friend.. In a recent visit back to Northumberland it was pleasing to see again the old vertcal dial on the side of Willcox's Jewellers in Alnwick's main street.  Constructed in 1737 and bearing the initials I.F. it is a Direct South dial in slate, still in remarkably good condition and showing in Roman numerals the expected 6am to 6pm in quarter hours with half hours marked by fleurs de lys. Click on the thumbnail for a larger image which was taken at 13:33 BST on 20th August 2020. 01.09.20

The Dial in Italy's Sigurtà Garden Park. Magda and Joseph Sigurtà have tirelessly maintained the garden that was first restored by the pharmaceutical industrialist, Dr. Giuseppe Carlo Sigurtà from the 1940s. In 1990 a sundial was constructed there and surrounded by water. Click on the image or HERE to see larger images of this interesting sundial, seen here at close to the 2019 autumnal equinox. 13.10.19

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April's News from Border Sundials The recent addition to 'News from Border Sundials' can be read here. This edition mentions the Sundial on Wilton Bridge, Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. Read about its history, why it was moved and read its depressing motto: "Esteem thy precious time; Which pass so swiftly away; Prepare thee for eternity; And do not make delay". The sundial was commissioned by Jonathon Barrow - originally from Monmouth but who lived in Bridstow just outside Ross-on-Wye. 11.04.19                     Image © Pauline Eccles & licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 license.

An interesting new, painted Italian dial of classic design. Here is a painted dial on a house on the Eastern side of Lake Garda in Italy.  On one of the houses overlooking the Lake and accessible only along the very narrow roads of that area. Constructed (or perhaps repainted) in 2009 it bears the motto "Di ferro e' lo stil, d'oro il tempo". (Iron is the style, gold the time). It displays local solar time from 9am to 8pm. 29.09.19 Images courtesy VL Thomson © VLT 2019

The Dennis Cowan Sundial Trails Over the years Sundiallist Dennis Cowan has put together a number of quite fascinating sundial trails of Scottish dials.  Readers will know that Scottish dials frequently have a style all of their own but despite their relative rarity there are many such that are well worth looking at. Despite this they are not shown as much as you might imagine. So, over the next weeks and with Dennis's gracious permission, SunInfo intends to feature a few of these trails.  Our first trail encompasses the dials of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh including those to be seen there in the National Museum of Scotland. The image here shows a lectern sundial, dated 1781, from Cantray in Aberdeenshire, with the monogram DD (David Duncan) and with dials for 13 locations around the world. These are Cantray, Peking, Goa, Rome, Jerusalem, Cairo, Naples, Syracuse, Ozaca, Troy, Smyrna, Bengal and Paris. This sundial was gifted to the museum around 1931 by Miss EM Davidson. It is of grey sandstone. Just compare the complexity of this Scottish dial of 1781 with the English dial in Alnwick of the not dissimilar date of 1737 which is shown lower down on this page. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger image. The full trail can be downloaded as a PDF HERE. Enjoy your trip! 02.09.20 By kind permission of D Cowan.