June 2010 page 16
Irene Brightmer

Sundials and Forts in North Wales

This article explores three instances of sundials located within former fortifications in North Wales. It describes a recently repainted vertical dial on St Cybi’s Church in Holyhead, a modern cast dialplate at St Mary’s churchyard in Caerhun, and a vertical declining dial from 1898 at Fort Belan.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials

September 2010 page 46
Irene Brightmer

Henry Sephton (1686-1756) – Architect, Mason and Diallist

This article examines Henry Sephton, an 18th-century Liverpool architect and mason, as a significant provincial diallist. It describes several dials attributed to him, including signed double horizontal dials at Croxteth Hall and Knowsley Hall, a horizontal dial at Ince Blundell Hall, vertical dials on churches, and two globe dials, highlighting his characteristic transversals and artistic style.
Dials: Horizontal, Construction Projects, Historical Dials, Dials: Double Horizontal

June 2008 page 60
Irene Brightmer
Valery Dmitriev

New Dials

This section introduces new sundials, including the 'Longitude Dial' at Burghley House, designed by William Andrewes, which incorporates a world map and indicates standard time and noon locations. It also describes a brass sundial made by Valery Dmitriev in Russia, designed in a traditional English style using CNC milling.
Dials: Horizontal, Sundial Design & Layout

June 2008 page 99
Irene Brightmer

A Millennium Dial in Cheshire and an 18th Century Treatise on Dialling

This article links a new millennium sundial at Marbury-cum-Quoisley church in Cheshire, designed by Dr W.E. Flewett and adjusted for longitude and British Summer Time, to an 18th-century treatise by Robert Moody. It also discusses William Emerson, a mathematician and diallist whose work influenced Moody and the millennium dial.
Construction Projects, Historical Dials, Mathematics of Dialling, Sundial Design & Layout

September 2008 page 116
Irene Brightmer

Over Three Hundred Years in the Sun: Thoughts of an Old Double Horizontal Dial

This article, narrated from the perspective of a 17th-century double horizontal dial by John Marke in a North Wales garden, recounts its history. It reflects on its past importance for timekeeping, its relocation, slight misalignment, and a recent renewed interest in its preservation, highlighting its rarity and unique survival.
Dials: Double Horizontal, Historical Dials, Restoration projects

September 2008 page 118
Irene Brightmer

Readers’ Letters

Irene Brightmer shares details of a vertical surrealist sundial by Salvador Dalí in Paris, featuring a blue-eyed female face. She also describes two historic meridians nearby: one in the Church of Saint-Sulpice, commissioned from Henry Sully, and the official Paris meridian marked by over a hundred Arago medallions.
Dials: Noon Lines, Dials: Unusual, Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials

December 2008 page 168
Jane Walker
Irene Brightmer

Book Reviews

Reviews two books: Les Méridiennes du Monde et Leur Histoire by Andrée Gotteland (2 volumes, 850 meridians in 24 countries, including midday canons and industrial meridians) and Mass Dials On Yorkshire Churches by Alan Cook (monograph on 83 churches with mass dials, discussing variations and survival rates, well-illustrated).
Book Reviews

June 2007 page 50
John Davis
Trevor M Brown
Irene Brightmer

Brass or Bronze?

This article explores the material composition of historical horizontal garden sundials, specifically distinguishing between brass and bronze alloys. It discusses the challenges of visual identification due to patination and details an X-ray analysis method used to determine the actual metallic composition of dial samples.
Historical Dials

September 2007 page 113
Irene Brightmer

Snippet from a Church Leaflet

A brief note from a church leaflet describes a medieval churchyard cross in Llanarmon, North Wales, that was converted into a sundial in 1772 for three shillings. Sadly, the sundial has since disappeared, leaving the cut-down cross bare in the churchyard.
Historical Dials