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March 2021
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.
March 2021
Page 1
Page 1
Customarily, this first issue incorporates the Trustees' Annual Report and Accounts. There are several articles, including David Brown's restoration report on a large polyhedral sundial and notes on the late Jill Wilson's work concerning Masonic symbols.
The BSS and Members
March 2021
Page 2
Page 2
A detailed report on the restoration of a large polyhedral sundial (a rhombicuboctahedron) with 25 faces. The work involved cleaning soft sandstone, making 25 new gnomons, grafting new stone onto the damaged horizontal face, and installing the structure on a new plinth.
Construction Projects, Dials: Multi Faced, Restoration projects
March 2021
Page 7
Page 7
Obituary for Mike Isaacs (membership number 126), a Chartered Chemist and founder member of the Oxford Branch of the British Horological Institute. He had interests in electrical clocks and sundials, and his son David, a photographer, captured many sundial images used by the Society.
The BSS and Members
March 2021
Page 8
Page 8
Description of a model sundial inspired by the Meridiana Tetracycla in Rome. It features four niches with analemmas, designed to read GMT throughout the year using corrections for the Equation of Time and longitudinal displacement. The model stands 62 cm high and is made of maple, birch veneer, and bronze.
Construction Projects, Dials: Unusual, Equation of Time, Sundial Design & Layout
March 2021
Page 10
Page 10
A selection of sundials reported in 2020 and entered into the Fixed Dial Register. The list includes armillary spheres, equatorial dials, various vertical dials (like the one at Staple Inn), several horizontal dials (such as the large Solum dial), and multiple or special dials.
Dials: Armillary Sphere, Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Vertical
March 2021
Page 17
Page 17
The author discusses finding a replica of a 1690 Thos Tompion dial at Kew Gardens. He notes that the engraved Equation of Time table is inaccurate for modern dates because it faithfully reproduces the original pre-Gregorian calendar data, leading to an 11-day shift in the zero crossing date.
Equation of Time, Historical Dials
March 2021
Page 18
Page 18
Details the 2018 restoration of the 1890 Kinloch Anderson sundial, a 2.5-metre pillar in Inverleith Park. The work included correcting the sundial's 180° wrong orientation, cleaning the marble dials, simulating lead lines with coloured epoxy, and installing new gilded brass gnomons.
Dials: Multi Faced, Historical Dials, Restoration projects
March 2021
Page 22
Page 22
A short note highlighting a 1747 engraving of Penshurst Place in Kent which depicts two horizontal sundials. Neither of these dials is present today, though the location features a multiple stone dial and a modern vertical dial.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials
March 2021
Page 23
Page 23
An analysis of various Masonic symbols found decorating sundials, building upon material left by the late Jill Wilson. It describes the use of the square and compasses, the Eye of Providence, pillars, and other emblems on dials, ranging from ancient mason's marks to later 'antique' and custom-made pieces.
Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, Mottoes, The BSS and Members
March 2021
Page 30
Page 30
Biographical details provided by the dial maker's 4x great-grandson. Daniel Nithsdale, alias Nistel, was a mathematical genius and a Freemason who changed his name from John following a duel. He served in the Royal Irish Artillery and later worked as a tenant farmer and schoolteacher, dying at 93.
Historical Dials
March 2021
Page 31
Page 31
An investigation into the maker of a horizontal brass dial (1907) from 'Large Acres', the home of Edward Heron-Allen. Based on the decorative features, gnomon shape, Equation of Time ring layout, and specific wording, the evidence suggests the dial was custom-made by Francis Barker & Son.
Dials: Horizontal, Historical Dials, Mottoes
March 2021
Page 36
Page 36
A reflection on the historical Admiralty sundial (1726) in Saint Petersburg, followed by humorous speculation on protecting public sundials. This includes clarifying an old image that showed a scarecrow guarding solar recording equipment from seagulls in the Isle of Wight, not a sundial.
Historical Dials
March 2021
Page 38
Page 38
Continues the analysis of Scottish sundials described by Thomas Ross, focusing on several 17th-century examples. These include three square stone vertical dials on Preston Lodge (Cupar), two identical cube sundials at Kinross House, and a diptych sundial in Alloa made by mason Tobias Baak in 1695.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Multi Faced, Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials
March 2021
Page 42
Page 42
A description of a postcard showing a vertical south dial that was once located at The Old St Stephen’s Church. The dial, featuring two dates (1864 and 1736) and multiple sets of initials, is no longer in place. The postcard itself carried a reflective motto concerning shadow and sun.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials, Mottoes
March 2021
Page 42
Page 42
A query to members seeking help identifying the location of old family photographs. The location is a park or public garden, possibly in south-east London, featuring an armillary sphere sundial on a pedestal, which is currently unlisted in the Fixed Dial Register.
Dials: Armillary Sphere, The BSS and Members
March 2021
Page 43
Page 43
This is the formal Annual Report presented by the Trustees of the British Sundial Society detailing the activities and governance of the organisation for the year 2020.
The BSS and Members
March 2021
Page 48
Page 48
This section contains the formal financial accounts for the British Sundial Society for the year concluding on 31 December 2020, along with supporting documentation and reports.
The BSS and Members