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December 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.
December 2017
Page 1
Page 1
The editorial notes reports on talks from the Newbury Meeting, particularly those by John Davis and Ian Butson, which were expanded into full articles. It reports the death of Frank Evans and mentions a time-related exhibition on 'The Clockwork Universe' in Pavia, Italy, which runs until 23 December.
The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 2
Page 2
Describes a large, superior, 18th-century horizontal dial by provincial Bristol maker Joshua Springer, which features a pierced gnomon engraved with the figure of Triton and a ring listing 28 geographical locations. The craftsmanship of this dial elevates Springer's perceived standing.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials
December 2017
Page 5
Page 5
Features a photograph and description of a vertical fibreglass sundial, the handiwork of David Pawley, situated high on the south front of Sundial House near the Newbury train station.
Dials: Vertical, The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 6
Page 6
Examines how a chord scale (such as on a Sector instrument or line of chords rule) can be used for geometrically laying out a dial design. The article discusses the historical use and trigonometry of chords and compares the process to using a protractor.
Dialling Tools, Mathematics of Dialling, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2017
Page 8
Page 8
Notes that the company RedBubble prints photographs on various products (like throw pillows and tote bags), many of which feature images of sundials, such as the Paternoster Square Noon Mark.
Dials: Noon Lines
December 2017
Page 9
Page 9
Reports on the protracted restoration of a vertical painted wooden sundial at St Mary’s Church, near the historic Rothschild estates. Due to extensive rot, a new plywood dial was constructed, the gnomon replaced, and the hour lines were corrected based on the wall's measured declination.
Dials: Vertical, Restoration projects
December 2017
Page 12
Page 12
Investigates two antique dials: a damaged brass horizontal dial signed by Thomas Wilks and dated 1732, featuring a Jerusalem time ring and Horace motto; and an unsigned, rare, early 18th-century horizontal dial believed to be part of a declinatory instrument.
Dialling Tools, Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
December 2017
Page 15
Page 15
Discusses a weathered horizontal dial from 1765 found in Turin, signed by Yorkshire dial designer William Lumb (1737–1801). Analysis revealed the dial plate was good brass, but the gnomon was cast from an extraordinary alloy of copper, lead, and high tin content, likely recycled pewter.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials
December 2017
Page 18
Page 18
A report on the observation of the total solar eclipse of 21 August 2017, held during the NASS conference at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri. Methods of observation, including a kitchen strainer, a reflection instrument, and Bill Gottesman's ingenious Eclipse Sundial, telling the time by the angle of the line between the sun's horns, are described.
Dials: Unusual, The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 21
Page 21
A detailed report on the BSS one-day meeting, summarising talks on topics including the Fort Belan sundial, DIY heliochronometers, multi-centre delineation, promotion via social media, the astronomical Culpeper dial, the Gnomonical Universal Nomograph (GUN), and the mechanical generation of the Equation of Time using equation clocks.
Dials: Heliochronometer, Equation of Time, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 26
Page 26
Examines two Scottish churches mentioned by Thomas Ross; Pencaitland Parish Church is unique for having three different sundials, including a multi-faced buttress dial and a cube dial. The dial at Bowden Kirk is a modern replacement that was installed with a major error in canting.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Multi Faced, Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials
December 2017
Page 29
Page 29
Features a postcard image of the horizontal 18th-century sundial (SRN 2196) located in Amen Court, London. The dial's gnomon bears the Deanery of St Paul’s motif (D and crossed swords) and is sometimes attributed to Christopher Wren.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials
December 2017
Page 30
Page 30
A report detailing a trip to Provence where the author found and photographed over 82 sundials, including a large one at Noyers, an almost direct east-facing dial from 1735 at Eyguières, and various painted dials featuring local mottoes.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials, Mottoes
December 2017
Page 34
Page 34
Presents two unusual sundials seen in Bloomfield Hills, USA: an equatorial dial of cast bronze at the Cranbrook Institute of Science with an analemma; and a horizontal dial at Cranbrook House designed in the shape of a swan, where the tail serves as the gnomon.
Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Equation of Time
December 2017
Page 37
Page 37
Describes a single-sided equatorial sundial, made from a pebble, that was given to delegates at the 2017 NASS Conference. The gnomon features a crescent cut-out as a memento of the solar eclipse, and time is read from the leading edge shadow falling on sandblasted alternate gaps.
Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Portable, Dials: Unusual, The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 39
Page 39
An obituary for Frank Evans (1926–2017), BSS member No. 37, a strong Bulletin contributor, who was a former Merchant Navy officer and a lecturer in marine biology.
The BSS and Members
December 2017
Page 40
Page 40
Details a heavily weathered cube dial (1710) with a 32-point compass ring at Stonehaven Harbour, and the remains of a 17th-century dial located on Castle Walk, Crail, which was repaired and moved in the 1880s but is now highly deteriorated.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials