Sundials on Streetview

Spot the Dials on Google Street View'®
Street View® is a Trade Mark of Google Inc

There are many dials that can be seen on Google's Street View®. The resolution and quality of the available images may not be high - especially in cases where the dials are some distance from the nearest road - but it is usually quite sufficient to allow a judgment of interest and be especially useful in identifying the exact location. Here we show just a few, some nearly new and some very old and worn. Keep coming back to see our latest additions and if you know of any yourself that might be of interest to others, just drop the Webmaster a line with details. We'll put them up. Thanks to all who have suggested new entries.

Check this list if you are going to be out and about in your car, just set your Sat/Nav to the Lat/Long... Already we have dials in England, Wales, Scotland and, thanks to suggestions from you, Northern Ireland and Eire.

1. The Large Horizontal Dial in Amble, Northumberland.

This dial is located at Lat/Long: 55.335085, -1.581721 at the junction of Queen Street and Coquet Street in Amble, adjacent to the Amble Tourist Information centre.

There is more about this remarkably accurate sundial and the award winning development of the town square here

2. A Vertical Declining Dial in Brighton, Sussex

Located at Lat/Long: 50.835729, -0.127666, this modern vertical East declining painted dial really enhances the Brighton street scene.

3. The Large Horizontal Dial at Barrow on Soar, Leicestershire

This dial can be found at Lat/Long: 52.754532, -1.13676 on raised land to the East side of Fishpool Way in Barrow on Soar.

Installed to mark the Millennium and declared open on 3rd July 2004 by the Lord Lieutenant of Leicestershire, it uses a stainless steel tube as a gnomon with hour marks additionally marked by inset blocks of a local stone. Another image of it is here.

4. The circular analemmatic dial in Abingdon Street, London, Greater London

The dial is located in the pavement on the opposite side of the road to the Houses of Parliament at Lat/Long: 51.498955, -0.126128

The time is read by a person standing with their heels centred on a date scale, whereupon their shadow indicates solar time.

It was designed by the current BSS Chairman, Frank King, and was a gift from Parliament to HM the Queen on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee.
It is unusual in that it is circular. Such dials are usually elliptical.

© 2013 Google. Image date May 2012

5. St Peter's Church, Ellastone, Staffordshire

Located on the South wall of the tower at 52.988202, -1.827642.

Rarely seen, very worn vertical South dial. Canted out to face South, Iron gnomon.

6. Rainbow Cottage, Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire

House formerly known as Hillocky Cottage, this dial is at Lat/Long: 53.041823, -1.736351

Motto reads "Omnibus Lucet". Hour lines before 6am and after 6pm are there only for artistic symmetry.

7. A House in Hitchin, Hertfordshire

Vertical West declining dial not far from the centre of Hitchin. Lat/Long: 51.941543, -0.275423
This dial was seen by delegates attending the 2011 BSS Conference Dial Tour

8. John Knox House 43-45 High St Edinburgh, Midlothian

Located at Lat/Long: 55.950633,-3.184891 on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.

Two declining dials surmounted by a figure of Moses kneeling and pointing to the sun.

9. The Cemetery Park Dial in St Austell Cornwall

Commissioned in 2008 this dial is at 50.338895, -4.788707

It is a large horizontal dial with a nodus that indicates the solstices and equinoxes.

More details here

10. The Analemmatic Olympic Dial in London's Olympic Park, Greater London.

Located at Lat/Long: 51.54031, -0.01822 this dial is just a few metres NW of the Stadium, adjacent to a jogging track.

The dial is in what is called the Olympic Silver Garden which is one of three parts of the 'Great British Garden' having colour themes associated with each of the Olympic Medals.

The dial indicates both summer time and ordinary sun time and it includes sunrise and sunset time finder markers. It was designed by BSS Member, David Brown.

11. The carved wooden dial at All Saints' Church Tilsworth, Bedfordshire

Located at 51.908466,-0.583917, this really elegant carved wood dial with iron gnomon is made from two planks of wood surmounted by a pediment.

It declines some 26 degrees to the East.

12. Two declining dials at 114-116 Cheapside, London.

Located at 51.51419,-0.094011 on the corner of Milk St and Cheapside in London.

Wonderfully gilded dials arranged around a corner of the building.

13. Two Declining dials on Shrewsbury Library.

Located at 52.710914,-2.750536 these two large declining dials are arranged around the corner of the Castle Gates Library.

They decline 54 degs E and 46 degs W and are thought to date from 1630.

14. The Drinking Fountain Dials, St James's Street, Dublin

Located at 53.342635,-6.294265. Four dials on faces that each decline 8.8 degrees on a 9.7m pillar aligned with road.

15. The Seafront Dial Portrush, NI

Located at 55.205025,-6.654044 and entitled 'Shades of my Father'. This dial is dated 1990 and shows summertime. Reference images at http://eprints.ulster.ac.uk/14449/
NB In January 2012 the dial had been removed from the shore front and was being stored (in pieces!) in the East Strand Car Park see http://www.flickr.com/photos/59696167@N07/6666491675/. We await further news...

16. The DIal on the Darrowby Inn, Thirsk, North Yorks

Located at 54.232579,-1.342958 in the Market Place on the front wall of the Inn. There is some uncertainty about the correctness of its orientation!

17. The Low Post, Appleby, Cumbria

Located at 54.577744,-2.491324 at the bottom of Boroughgate. A three face cube dial.
Streetview allows a complete view of all faces

18. The High Post, Appleby, Cumbria

Located at 54.575454,-2.489816 at the top of Boroughgate. A three face cube dial.
Streetview allows a complete view of all faces.

19. St Cynon's Church, Tregynon, Powys

Located at 52.578819,-3.335684. A Direct South slate dial.

20. Dial in Centre of Martock, Somerset.

Located at 50.97074, -2.766237. Close to Market House in the Centre on high pillar.

21. The Great Decliner at Moreton in Marsh

Located at 51.989968, -1.703279. This dial is in the centre of Moreton in Marsh and was seen on the 2012 BSS Cheltenham
Conference Dial tour.

22. Declining Dial Holy Trinity, Church of Ireland, Ballycastle, Co. Antrim

Located at 55.200708,-6.249673. Declines slightly East.

23. St Buadan's Church of Ireland, Culdaff, Co. Donegal

Located at 55.287092,-7.166699 on Main Street. A better image of this dial (though not one on Google Street View®) is here

24. St Botolph's Church, Cambridge

Located at 52.202437,0.117852 on Trumpington Street. Two vertical declining dials with elaborate gnomon supporters.

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