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March 2023
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 2023
Page 1
Page 1
Discusses the content of the current issue, highlighting contributions such as the obituary for founder-member Mike Cowham, articles on newly reported dials, portable dials, and a memorial sundial. It also notes that the official Trustees' Report and Accounts were not ready at the time of publication.
The BSS and Members
March 2023
Page 2
Page 2
Describes the process of designing and constructing a large 90 cm square vertical declining dial for a house conservatory in Somerset. The project involved measuring the wall's 74.3° westerly declination, incorporating an Equation of Time plaque, and designing a unique lateral sliding system to avoid shadows cast by the glass roof rafters.
Construction Projects, Dials: Vertical, Equation of Time, Sundial Design & Layout
March 2023
Page 6
Page 6
Details how to construct two accessible types of small, portable sundials. The first is an armillary equatorial dial made from embroidery hoops. The second is an altitude card dial, also known as a Capuchin dial, which uses a thread and bead mechanism. Both projects demonstrate less traditional dial types requiring minimal skill.
DIY Sundial Projects, Dials: Armillary Sphere, Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Portable
March 2023
Page 8
Page 8
An obituary for Mike Cowham (membership number 26), a BSS founder-member known for his extensive contributions, including 103 articles for the Bulletin and his regular 'Dial Dealings' reports until 2020. He was the coordinating editor for Sundials of the British Isles and authored the monograph Altitude Dials.
The BSS and Members
March 2023
Page 9
Page 9
Focuses on a multiple cube/prism dial (SRN 3416) at Powis Castle, identified via a c.1955 Frith’s postcard. The structure is composed of a stone cube dial mated with a Henry Wynne double horizontal dial. It lists south, east, and west vertical dials alongside the double horizontal component.
Dials: Cube, Dials: Double Horizontal, Dials: Multi Faced, Historical Dials
March 2023
Page 10
Page 10
A summary of the 51 new finds added to the Fixed Dial Register in 2022, increasing the record count to 7,781. Highlights include a Falklands memorial dial, a French Noon Cannon, two Francis Barker instruments, and the largest vertical dial (Piers Nicholson’s in Fleet Street).
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials
March 2023
Page 18
Page 18
Recounts sightings of four sundials during an archaeological tour. These include an IX–XI century sun clock from Mogila, an ancient sundial of Marcianopolis, a 2nd–3rd century A.D. marble dial in Varna, and a damaged 1878 dial located on the southwest corner of the Dzhumaya Mosque in Plovdiv.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials, Restoration projects
March 2023
Page 20
Page 20
Describes the stainless-steel memorial sundial (SRN 8340) commissioned to honour miners who died at Bettisfield Colliery. The BSS Help & Advice Service assisted the artist with design and calculations. The dial features a miner’s pick gnomon mounted on a salvaged industrial gear wheel.
Construction Projects, Sundial Design & Layout, The BSS and Members
March 2023
Page 22
Page 22
Details the construction of the large 30-foot diameter horizontal dial with a 20-foot stainless-steel gnomon, created for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. To ensure public utility, the hour lines were designed to allow for longitude, making the dial read close to clock time, despite the resulting asymmetry.
Construction Projects, Dials: Horizontal, Equation of Time, Sundial Design & Layout
March 2023
Page 24
Page 24
A note identifying a heavily weathered vertical sundial over a doorway at Clarks Village, Street, Somerset. The dial is made of Blue Lias, dated 1811, and the gnomon appears original. The author expresses interest in making a like-for-like replacement.
Dials: Vertical, Historical Dials, Restoration projects
March 2023
Page 25
Page 25
Compares two armillary dials seen during a NASS conference tour. The first, at the Governor’s Residence, is exquisite and highly symbolic. The second, at Vanderbilt University, uses a unique method where a spot of light shines through the equatorial ring onto an analemma plate to indicate the time.
Dials: Armillary Sphere, Dials: Equatorial, Dials: Unusual, Equation of Time
March 2023
Page 26
Page 26
Summary of the Society's 2022 activities, including holding the York conference and Newbury meeting, maintaining strong finances, and detailing public benefit submissions to the Charity Commissioners. Projects included restoration advice, pro bono design work, and the continued growth of the Fixed-Dial Register.
Construction Projects, Restoration projects, The BSS and Members