Anthony Oldfield Wood
Members of the British Sundial Society examine the
Wenger Sundial
L to R: Tony Wood, John Davis, Piers Nicholson and Margery Lovatt.
Photo courtesy of David Young
SunInfo is sad to report the death of one of the UK's most prolific sundial recorders and a most diligent supporter of the study and recording of mass dials. Tony Wood 1935-2022, died in the early hours of 20th April 2022. His funeral took place on 30th May 2022 at Barham Crematorium. Tony took over the lead role in the British Sundial Society on mass dials from Edward Martin, who had had to give up owing to failing health. Edward had pioneered the concept of recording the mass dials of Britain and it was Edward that set down the key facets that should be identified and recorded. He had even developed an early computerised database. In 2002 Tony set about trying to recover this considerable work and the factual detail of the database. This, though sadly not including Edward's novel customised dial diagrams, was eventually recovered for him in 2002 by Patrick Powers but, after Edward's death, amazingly the data were again temporarily mislaid! Upon the second recovery, the decision was taken to develop a separate database in which to record mass dials rather along the same lines of Ian Wootton's Access 1 database that has been thereafter maintained and extended by the Society's Registrar of the day, Patrick Powers and now John Foad. Patrick and Tony set about developing this database of some 1000 mass dials including some details that are not now recorded even in the latest Society BSS Mass Dial Register.
A guide to Edward's novel codes
for recording the locations of the dials on churches was available but sadly the technology underpinning Edward's early
database soon became obsolete and it had never been properly backed up by him before
his death. A
version of his records was discovered after Edward's death and with Tony's help
much of the data was recovered.
That early database can still be found as a PDF
on the independent SunInfo website. He wrote many
articles for local interests such as that for Gloucestershire History No. 21
(2007) pages 16-22
https://gloshistory.org.uk/sites/reprints/gh200716.pdf and
his Cotswolds Sundial Trail which is at
http://sundials.co/~cotswolds.htm.
Tony's interests in dialling did not stop there. Along
with David Young he constantly vied for the 'accolade' of being the most
prolific fixed dial recorder in the Society. His records were always exemplary
and carefully checked before submission and just as with mass dials, he contributed considerably
to the further development of the BSS Fixed Sundial Database. Tony's attempts to
record dials even under the most taxing of conditions led to him receiving the
'Registrar's Special Accolade' for taking the 'worst' picture of a sundial. It
was, of course, one that he had spied from a public footpath, a long way off, in
a private garden and almost competely obscured from view by stone steps. That
record was, not surprisingly, a little short on detail but it was nevertheless of a
previously unknown sundial!
Despite all these interests Tony additionally gave his time to serve for a period as a Trustee of the Charity and as a member of its Committee. Tony's extraordinary contribution to British Dialling will be long remembered.
The eulogy given at his funeral may be read here - courtesy of his elder daughter Julia. © Julia (nee ) Wood, Patrick Powers 2022
© SunInfo, Patrick Powers 2022