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June 2017
The articles link to the specific page in a PDF optimised for speed. If you want the whole issue, you can download it here, but the files from earlier years can be quite large.
June 2017
Page 1
Page 1
This editorial announces the obituary of Allan Mills and includes a report of the Oxford Conference and the AGM Minutes. It reminds members registering sundials to take a crucial side view of the gnomon for the Society’s records, as these views are essential should the gnomon ever go astray.
The BSS and Members
June 2017
Page 2
Page 2
This article explores the irresistible temptation to use Brighton's vertical i360 tower as the gnomon for an azimuthal sundial. It details the i360 Sundial Society's proposals to mark time paths and date paths on the built-up, sloping ground of Regency Square using specially-made bricks.
Construction Projects, Dials: Unusual, Sundial Design & Layout
June 2017
Page 8
Page 8
This entry features a photograph of a colourful mosaic sundial located on Flagstaff Hill, Russell, in New Zealand. Designed in 1990, it commemorates the centenary of the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors and bears an Equation of Time table.
Dials: Horizontal, Equation of Time, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 9
Page 9
The author reports success in locating the historical Hastings town sundial, previously worked on by his ancestor Joseph Wakeham Carswell. Evidence suggests the original dial plate was near East Cliff House and was later moved to the ‘Look-out’ on East Hill.
Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 10
Page 10
This article covers six sundials in East Lothian, Scotland, previously mentioned by Thomas Ross in volume 5 of his work. Sites detailed include Dunglass Collegiate Church and Nunraw Abbey Tower, noting their history, multi-faceted nature, and current condition or replacement status.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Multi Faced, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 15
Page 15
This article examines the navicula, a rare portable altitude dial from the late Middle Ages. It suggests the dial is uniquely English and likely originated in East Anglia, based on geographical links to known examples and associated English manuscripts.
Dials: Portable, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 24
Page 24
This report lists 47 newly reported dials added to the BSS Register in 2016. Descriptions include an analemmatic dial in New Lanark, a simple vertical dial designed for a Robert Lutyens house, a Dollond dial in London, and a vertical limestone monolith gnomon dial in Lancashire.
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Unusual, Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 29
Page 29
This article investigates an unusual mid-19th century sundial located in the Cloister of Newstead Abbey. The dial plate, inscribed ‘Osmond Sarum’, is mounted on a marble capital presented to Mrs F. Webb in 1856, which was originally from the Temple of Venus in Piraeus.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 32
Page 32
This article reports on the restoration project to replace a heavily rusted, old iron armillary sphere in Ipswich's Christchurch Park. A new bronze dial, custom-made by Robert Foster Sundials, was mounted on a restored pedestal and dedicated to the recently deceased Dr John Blatchly MBE.
Dials: Armillary Sphere, Restoration projects
June 2017
Page 33
Page 33
A short, humorous piece noting a poster seen by conference delegates advertising the Oxford Museum of the History of Science. The author pointed out that the poster designer should have checked what a sundial looks like.
The BSS and Members
June 2017
Page 34
Page 34
The article details two large slate horizontal dials. The first is Robert Connell's nine-sided 1815 dial featuring a perpetual almanac and a global time ring. The second is Richard Melville's 1848 square dial, which displays eight subsidiary dials for various world locations.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 37
Page 37
This entry features a postcard image of a sundial made in 1962 by abstract sculptor Barta Lajos in Siófok, Hungary, on the shore of Lake Balaton. Although the dial has since disappeared, it was considered one of the most progressive sculptures of its time in Hungary.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
June 2017
Page 38
Page 38
This is an obituary for Allan Alfred Mills (1933–2017), BSS membership number 008, who was a strong contributor to the Bulletin. A lecturer in Planetary Science, he was known for his work on scientific instruments, models (often in wood), and investigation into obscure phenomena.
The BSS and Members
June 2017
Page 39
Page 39
The author describes the design and laser-cut construction of a stainless steel pin gnomon gravestone sundial on black granite. The vertical dial includes solstices/equinoxes lines and additional declination lines marking the birth and passing dates of the author’s wife.
Construction Projects, Dials: Vertical, Sundial Design & Layout
June 2017
Page 42
Page 42
A detailed report on the 2017 BSS Annual Conference in Oxford. Summaries include talks on determining wall declination, the analysis of a double vertical dial, 17th-century eclipse dials, and a presentation suggesting the Navicula originated in East Anglia.
The BSS and Members
June 2017
Page 48
Page 48
Records the proceedings of the AGM held in Oxford on 22 April 2017. Business included receiving the 2016 accounts, the re-election of trustees Jackie Jones and Frank King, and discussing potential advertising efforts to counteract the fall in membership.
The BSS and Members
June 2017
Page 48
Page 48
This short entry references John Lester's presentation at the Oxford Conference, showcasing his delightful collection of wooden portable sundials.
DIY Sundial Projects, Dials: Portable