Mike Cowham
This article describes a walking tour of the 23 (or more) sundials in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort, France. It highlights attractive examples, including an equatorial dial, a church dial, and several made by local ceramic artist C. TINGAUD, noting features like 24-hour systems and Provençal mottoes.
Dials: Equatorial,
Dials: Vertical,
Historical Dials,
Mottoes
This article reports on sundial sales and auction results from 2011, noting strong sales for higher-quality dials despite a depressed market. It details several interesting pieces, including a stone polyhedral dial, ivory diptych dials, equinoctial ring dials, quadrants, and a double horizontal dial.
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
This article describes Gabriel Stokes' innovative 1735 design for equinoctial ring dials, which incorporated a direct readout declination scale for latitude determination. By setting the suspension point to the correct solar declination for the day, travellers could directly read their geographical latitude, simplifying a process that traditionally required calculations.
Dials: Portable,
How Sundials Work,
Historical Dials
This brief piece draws attention to an unusual application of a sundial's gnomon in Airanne, Somme, France, where it appears to be providing minimal support to a scaffold tower. The author expresses hope for the sundial's survival following this unconventional use.
Dials: Unusual
This article describes the planispheric nocturnal, an instrument for telling time at night by aligning a rotating star chart with actual stars. It functions as an alternative to a traditional nocturnal and can be found on the reverse of some quadrants, offering timekeeping to within 15 minutes without requiring Equation of Time correction.
Dialling Tools,
How Sundials Work,
Dials: Nocturnals
The article examines unusual 18th-century equatorial dials by Gerhard Kloppenburgh and Gerhard Cremer, made of gold-plated brass. It details their summer and winter sides, including hour lines, zodiac signs, and global noon times. The author discusses peculiar reversed Roman numerals, possible origins in northern Germany, and an anomaly in numeral thickness.
Dials: Equatorial,
Historical Dials,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article describes the creation of a motorised sun simulator for a museum exhibition, designed to demonstrate how sundials work by speeding up daylight duration. It features three lights for different seasons and allows visitors to test card sundial kits.
Construction Projects,
Dialling Tools,
How Sundials Work
This article reviews notable sundials and related instruments sold at auction in 2010, including a silver pocket compass dial by Richard Glynne, a double inclining string gnomon dial by Jacques Le Maire, Japanese scaphe dials, and an ivory and silver compass dial by Elias Allen.
Dials: Portable,
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials
Explores the notebook of E.A. Pippet, detailing his original 1895 design for a west-declining vitreous enamel sundial for Cairns Chambers, Sheffield. It compares the design to the more modern stone dial currently on the building, which has a different declination.
Dials: Vertical,
Historical Dials,
Sundial Design & Layout
A review of sundials sold at auction in 2009. Notable items include a gilt brass compendium by Charles Whitwell dated 1608, a Panorganon by Joseph Wells, a Gunter's quadrant by Henry Wynne, and a silver Butterfield dial by Pierre le Maire.
Dials: Portable,
Dials: Scaphe,
Historical Dials,
Dials: Nocturnals
This article provides an update on the Irish-style dial discovered at Towyn. Originally used as a milestone and later built into Ynysmaengwyn Hall, the dial has now been safely moved from outside the local Tourist Office to St Cadfan’s Church. The article details the process of moving the large stone and its new illuminated position next to the Cadfan Stone.
Historical Dials,
Restoration projects
This article examines a unique slate dial from 1712, signed 'G B FECIT'. It notes several unusual features, including incorrect gnomon alignments on subsidiary dials, ornate rococo-like decoration, and French origin due to spellings and slate material. The article also highlights a large discrepancy between calculated latitude and gnomon angle, along with various other intriguing engravings like months, zodiac signs, lunar cycles, epacts, and a crest.
Dials: Multi Faced,
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials
This article recounts the recovery and return of two sundials: a pedestal with carved navigational instruments, stolen from Myddelton House and later reunited with a replica dial plate; and an early Celtic sundial from Tywyn, moved inside its church.
Historical Dials,
Restoration projects,
The BSS and Members
This article reviews notable sundials and scientific instruments seen in sales throughout 2008. Highlights include an 18th-century horizontal dial by Richard Hintonn, a French silver string gnomon dial, a gilt inclining dial by Chapotot, a rare 16th-century Nuremberg star-shaped polyhedral dial, an ivory diptych dial by Lienhart Miller, a Butterfield universal equinoctial ring dial, and a Gunter quadrant by Nathanaell Heighemore.
Dials: Horizontal,
Dials: Multi Faced,
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
Explores the design of fixed-latitude altitude dials for use in tropical regions, specifically The Gambia (13.5° N). The article presents computer-generated plots for various types, including the horary quadrant and vertical plate dial, highlighting the unique behaviour of the hour lines as the sun passes overhead.
Dials: Portable,
How Sundials Work,
Sundial Design & Layout
Details the discovery and preservation of an Irish-style pillar dial (c. 700-1000 AD) in Tywyn, Wales. Found in 1986 among rubble, the dial was later used as a milepost. The article describes its features and recounts the successful effort to have the vulnerable stone moved to St Cadfan's Church.
Dials: Mass Dials,
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials,
Restoration projects
A survey of the artistic and decorative supports used for gnomons on different types of sundials. The article presents numerous photographs of historical and modern examples, including dolphins, snakes, butterflies, skeletons, and intricate scrollwork, and invites readers to share pictures of other interesting designs.
Sundial Design & Layout,
Historical Dials
Describes an unusual 1842 pocket calendar device called the Clef-Callier, named after one of two Parisian clockmakers, which shows the Equation of Time for the 5th, 15th, and 25th day of each month. It also displays the month and date, with corrections generally within one minute of modern figures.
Dials: Portable,
Equation of Time
This article explains how to use Solar Course diagrams found on historical instruments, such as an Edmund Culpeper universal equinoctial ring dial and Italian quadrants, to determine the sun's position in the Zodiac. It details calculation methods, including adjustments for Old Style and New Style calendars, and notes rare instances of early Gregorian calendar pre-emption.
Dialling Tools,
Historical Dials,
How Sundials Work,
Mathematics of Dialling
Reports on sundial sales at major auction houses in 2007, noting a shift away from scientific instruments by Christie's and Sotheby's. It details sales at Bonhams, including a 19th-century cube dial, a 17th/18th-century Polish slate dial, and a medieval astrolabe quadrant found in Canterbury. Other notable sales include portable dials by Edm. Culpeper and a double crescent dial by Johann Martin.
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials,
Dials: Cube,
Dials: Double Horizontal
This article explores the depiction of faces on sundials, primarily smiling suns on vertical dials and replica horizontal dials, as well as moon faces and other figures like angels. It showcases various examples from Britain and Europe, discussing their symbolism and design variations.
Dials: Portable,
Dials: Vertical,
Historical Dials,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article describes a portable universal East and West polar dial that is self-aligning and does not require a compass. It details its design, operation, and identifies limitations such as a two-hour gap around noon. It also explores improvements through hinged flaps and cylindrical designs, and relates it to other dial types like the double crescent dial.
Dials: Polar,
Dials: Portable,
How Sundials Work,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article reviews sundial sales and auctions from 2006, highlighting notable items such as a 1545 book with an early gold sundial, a perpetual calendar from around 1700, and a brass horary quadrant by Tho: Poole. It also mentions a standing ring dial, a Butterfield dial, and a rare Henry Sutton quadrant with 'New Style' dating.
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
Mike Cowham describes a survey of early French 'shell' dials, often found carved into church walls, dating between 1050 and 1200 AD. He details 11 examples, noting their varying numbers of divisions, high mounting positions, and possible connection to pilgrimage routes. The article speculates on their purpose, mainly to record solar noon and indicate church services.
Dials: Mass Dials,
Dials: Vertical,
Historical Dials,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article presents practical, simple methods for measuring the height and size of sundials, especially those high on church towers. It describes using a homemade shadow square for height, relating dial dimensions to known object sizes from photographs, and employing a marked tripod. Computer software techniques for perspective correction are also discussed to improve accuracy.
Construction Projects,
Dialling Tools
This is a review of 'Catalogue of Sun-dials, Nocturnals and Related Instruments in the Instituto e Museo di Storia Della Scienza, Firenze' by Anthony J Turner. The catalogue details Florence's collection of sundials, nocturnals, and other instruments, categorized using Higgins' classification. The reviewer praises the initiative but criticizes the illustration presentation, including identification, placement, size, and photographic angles.
Book Reviews,
Dials: Multi Faced,
Historical Dials,
Dials: Nocturnals
This piece addresses the challenges of photographing high-mounted or horizontal sundials. The author presents a practical solution involving an elevated digital camera on an extended tripod with a remote shutter release, enabling bird's eye views while ensuring the photographer's safety and optimal framing without including themselves in the shot.
Dialling Tools,
DIY Sundial Projects
This article reviews notable sundial sales from 2005 auctions and catalogues. Featured items include diptych dials, astronomical ring dials, universal minute dials, and quadrants. The author also discusses a recognised forgery and provides insights into instrument collecting.
Dials: Equatorial,
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
This report details the results of the 2005 British Sundial Society Photographic Competition, highlighting the winners, runners-up, and highly commended entries. It includes judges' comments, discusses criteria like artistic merit and overall impression, and announces plans for the 2006 competition.
The BSS and Members
This article reconstructs the spherical dials from the complex 1669 Pyramidical Dial in Whitehall, based on descriptions by William Leybourn. It details various glass sphere dials, including those showing time by heat ("fire"), water, optical alignment ("air"), and terrestrial globes ("earth"), and discusses their delicate construction and short lifespan.
Dials: Hemispherical,
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials
This section features diverse reader contributions. Topics include an anticlockwise convention for Roman numerals on old dials, warnings about Pearson-Page sundial replicas that can cause historical errors, the disappearance of a modern sundial at St. Gregory’s Minster, and a sceptical view on theories regarding continental cathedral meridian lines.
Historical Dials
The author expresses his frustration with unsightly drainpipes and other structural elements that frequently disfigure sundials, particularly mass dials. He presents numerous photographic examples from the UK and Europe, illustrating how these obstructions cast shadows or obscure dials, advocating for greater consideration from builders to protect these historical timepieces.
Dials: Vertical,
Dials: Mass Dials
The article reveals that sundial were often produced in batches or using templates to save time and cost. Evidence of this includes manufacturers reusing delineation designs, employing techniques like tilting dial plates to correct for different latitudes, and the presence of matching marks and "prick marks" on components of portable and ivory dials. This suggests a more standardised manufacturing process for many dials, especially from places like Augsburg, Nuremberg, and France.
Dials: Portable,
Sundial Design & Layout
Reviews significant auction results for sundials and related instruments in 2004. Features rare horological artifacts by Wolfgang Hager, Thomas Tompion, Christoffer Schissler, Elias Allen, Hans Ducher and others. Describes design features, historical importance, condition and sale prices, illuminating market trends in scientific timekeeping collectibles.
Historical Dials
Analyses a rare Italian pillar dial in Ravenna with a horizontal gnomon, calibrated for reading the time in the Italian hours system at solar noon. Discusses calculating local noon offsets, latitude influences, and historical context of Venetian installation. Examines missing gnomon, hurricane damage and the cultural practice of hour counting from event-based day start.
Historical Dials,
Dials: Noon Lines
Examines eight 16th-century wooden portable sundials recovered from the Mary Rose warship. Describes their construction, provenance, decoration, and probable origin in Nuremberg, with insights into use aboard ship and wider trade networks.
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
Announcement and results of the BSS photographic competition, showcasing notable sundial photography entries.
The BSS and Members
Explores methods to improve the precision of reading sundials, addressing the problem of the penumbra (fuzzy shadow) caused by the sun's finite disc. It discusses various gnomon designs, such as annular gnomons for noon marks, thin rod gnomons, and pinhole or taut wire gnomons, which create sharper shadows for more accurate time-telling.
Dials: Noon Lines,
Dials: Portable,
How Sundials Work,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article reviews notable sundial sales from 2003, highlighting various portable dials sold at auctions like Sotheby's and Christie's. It features different types of dials, including Butterfield dials, Universal Equinoctial Ring dials, String Gnomon dials, Miner's Dials, and a rare Elizabethan compass dial, discussing their features, makers, and sale prices.
Dials: Astrolabe,
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
Historical and technical discussion of magnetic azimuth dials from the 17th century, including Dieppe ivory examples, London surveying instruments, and design considerations for modern reconstructions.
Dialling Tools,
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials
Travelogue describing a visit to several Austrian dials and analysis of two questionable/atypical examples.
Dials: Vertical
Practical method using a 24-hour equatorial template to transfer hour lines to arbitrary surfaces. Demonstrates template folding for latitude, a Cambridge horizontal example, spherical and heart-shaped scaphe dials, marking equinox/solstice lines and gives practical tips on template rigidity and common pitfalls.
DIY Sundial Projects,
Dials: Scaphe,
How Sundials Work,
Sundial Design & Layout
Annual round-up of notable sundials discovered or reported in 2002, highlighting interesting examples and unusual features.
Dials: Horizontal,
Dials: Unusual
This article discusses how to recognise fake or imitation sundials. It provides a list of points to consider, such as the material used, how the markings were applied (engraved, punched, or etched), and the presence of suspicious mottoes or dates. The author also suggests tools for investigation and discusses common errors made by both forgers and legitimate makers.
Dialling Tools,
Historical Dials
A discussion about a spherical sundial discovered in the village of Hilton. The article compares it to other historical spherical dials and suggests it may have been incorrectly restored.
Dials: Unusual,
Historical Dials
A puzzle for entertainment featuring 40 sundial types hidden in a word grid. Solving reveals a hidden message.
Mike Cowham explains how the historical change from the Julian to Gregorian calendars can serve as a dating aid for sundials. He outlines methods for identifying pre- and post-1752 dials based on calendar scales and Equation of Time tables, providing examples from historical quadrants and portable dials across Europe.
Equation of Time,
Historical Dials
The third part of a series on the Gatty family, focusing on the children of Mrs. Gatty, author of "Book of Sun-dials." It highlights their literary talents, particularly Juliana Horatia Ewing, an eminent children's writer. The article also discusses other authors influenced by Mrs. Gatty's seminal work, detailing various historical sundial books and mottoes.
Book Reviews,
Historical Dials,
Mottoes
This article details ancient timekeeping systems, including Babylonian hours from sunrise, Italian hours from sunset, and the Arabs' midnight-start 24-hour day. It also explores Japanese unequal hours, divided into 12 'tokis', noting their abandonment in 1873 for international time. The evolution of numerals on sundials, from early European to Arabic and stylised forms, is also discussed.
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials,
Sundial Design & Layout
This section reviews two books. The first, a reprint of T.W. Cole's 'Origin and Use of Church Scratch-Dials,' covers mass dials and their history. The second reviews Hester Higton's 'Sundials: An Illustrated History of Portable Dials,' praised for its lavish illustrations and historical context of various portable dial types. While generally well-received, factual errors regarding dial functionality and minor layout issues are noted in Higton's work.
Book Reviews,
Dials: Mass Dials,
Dials: Portable,
Historical Dials
Continues the historical account of Mrs. Gatty and her influential sundial book, examining its impact and reception.
Book Reviews,
Historical Dials
This article reports on recent sundial auctions, highlighting several notable sales, including a silver dial by Nicholas Blondeau (1683), a fruitwood pillar dial with a hidden compass and spyglass, and a rare Cruciform Dial from 1598. It also notes garden dials that failed to reach their reserves.
This article reviews recent sundial sales at Christies and Sotheby's, highlighting several exciting and rare items. It describes five ivory diptych dials, an inclining dial by Chapotot, an astronomical ring dial attributed to Louvain (c.1550), a medieval astrolabe from the 14th century, a mechanical equinoctial dial by J. J. Knittel, a scaphe dial by Georg Hartmann (1547), and unique dials by Timothee Collet (c.1675).
Historical Dials
Details the restoration of the author's first vertical east declining sundial, originally made in 1986. It describes the process of stripping old paint, repainting, and redrawing the dial face with hour, equinox, and solstice lines. Challenges in transferring designs and painting fine lines are discussed, along with the decision to use black numerals for better contrast and adding a computer-drawn Equation of Time graph.
DIY Sundial Projects,
Dials: Vertical,
Restoration projects,
Sundial Design & Layout
Reviews recent sundial sales at Christie's, highlighting several notable items. Sales included a rare Dutch compass/sundial, a Pilkington & Gibbs heliochronometer, and various garden sundials. A highlight was a large horizontal stone dial showing declination lines and times for different cities. The Rothschild collection sale featured high-value scientific instruments, including a minute dial, an astronomical compendium, a pair of dividers with altitude dials, ivory diptychs, and an astrolabe. The author also found an engraved copper printing plate of Rev. William Oughtred, inventor of the Ring Dial and slide rule.
A roundup of recent dial-related sales
This article reports on the Scientific Instrument Fair, noting a number of dials that were for sale, including a slate dial with its original pedestal that sold for a high price, and various portable and snuff box dials.
This article provides an overview of international dealers in scientific instruments who stock sundials, including Trevor Philip & Sons (London), Stuart Talbot (Portobello Market), Librarie Alain Brieux (Paris), and Tesseract (New York). It highlights specific rare and interesting dials, like a Serle's Universal Rule compendium, and advises on attending scientific instrument fairs and auctions.
This piece reproduces a 1914 newspaper clipping titled "Sun-Dials, a Plea for their Revival" which advocates for the return of sundials. It discusses the general use of sundials in ancient times (Babylon, Egypt, Hezekiah's dial), their construction (Byzantium eagle dial), the principle of the gnomon, common objections (blurred shadow, refraction, sunshine reliance), and various mottoes and famous public and private dials in London and England.
Mottoes
This article describes a large sundial on a school building in St. Johann im Pongau, Austria, made of glazed ceramic tiles. The author questions its usability due to the absence of hour numerals, requiring prior knowledge to interpret the times, and humorously nominates it as "The World's Most Useless Sundial".
Dials: Unusual,
Sundial Design & Layout
This article provides ten commandments for buying antique horizontal garden sundials, with points also applicable to other dials. It advises on checking gnomon alignment, hour line spacing, and the correct gnomon angle for latitude. The article also discusses material characteristics, identifying replica dials, and ethical considerations regarding origin, including reference tables for latitude and hour line angles.
Historical Dials,
Mathematics of Dialling,
Sundial Design & Layout