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David Brown
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 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
September 2023
Page 15
Page 15
Describes the restoration of a square horizontal slate sundial made by Richard Melvin in 1856 (For Latitude 52° 42ʹ North). The work involved correcting the geometry and seating of the five gnomons, re-incising the details, and finishing the surface by painting the incisions light matt grey enamel and sealing the slate with oil.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Multi Faced, Restoration projects
December 2022
Page 35
Page 35
Account of a three-week sundial safari in Hobart, Tasmania. Examines several dials including the Transit of Venus commemorative dial and a complex mechanism at UTAS. Ends with discovery of the 'Sundial Sea Shell'.
Dials: Horizontal, Dials: Unusual, Historical Dials, 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
June 2021
Page 40
Page 40
The author recounts his failure to formally register many of the approximately 215 sundials he has created since 1990, prompted by the discovery of an unrecorded dial he made at Piles Mill, Allerford (SRN 8191). Includes the transcription of a 1994 article by Hilary Binding detailing a sundial safari in West Somerset, describing the Piles Mill dial (a double-sided equatorial dial designed to look like a millstone).
Construction Projects, Dials: Equatorial, Historical Dials, The BSS and Members
December 2020
Page 38
Page 38
The author describes helping a client re-create a vertical sundial on a 16th-century Wiltshire mill cottage chimney stack, which had been lost around 1900. The design incorporated findings from original fragments, including a unique concatenation of Roman numerals. A separate slate plaque with an Equation of Time correction, featuring a millstone image, was also added.
Construction Projects, Dials: Vertical, Equation of Time, Restoration projects
March 2019
Page 18
Page 18
Describes three sundials commemorating war and peace. The first is the Merchant Seamen analemmatic dial at the National Memorial Arboretum. The second and third are new memorial analemmatic sundials in Aldridge (incorporating clay bricks inscribed by schools) and East Stour (made of Portland stone and granite). Also mentions a brass dial commemorating the 1919 Treaty of Versailles.
Construction Projects, Dials: Analemmatic, Historical Dials
March 2019
Page 32
Page 32
Describes a conventional analemmatic sundial commissioned for the Abbot Alphege Academy in Bath. The Forest of Dean sandstone dial commemorates Abbot Alphege (martyred 1012) and incorporates pointer stones, Bailey points, an Alphege cross, and stones naming personal qualities such as courage and wisdom.
Construction Projects, Dials: Analemmatic
March 2019
Page 41
Page 41
Reports on the Society reaching its 30th anniversary and maintaining core activities. Highlights successful infrastructure maintenance (Bulletin, website, registers), the publication of the first national Mass Dial Register, and progress on the Biographical Index. Notes the retirement of David Brown and the passing of Jill Wilson, and thanks volunteers.
The BSS and Members
September 2019
Page 7
Page 7
This piece examines Latin mottoes found on sundials visited during the 2019 BSS Conference in Bath. It provides translations for inscriptions on the Parade Gardens armillary sphere, Kingswood School’s vertical and analemmatic dials, and the Pilkington & Gibbs heliochronometer, ending with a challenge regarding the Royal Victoria Park cross dial inscription.
Dials: Analemmatic, Dials: Heliochronometer, Dials: Vertical, Mottoes
March 2018
Page 6
Page 6
A report on the destruction of the cubical monumental sundial in Ilchester, Somerset, which stands 7 metres high. The sundial, originally built in 1795 and rebuilt in 1990 after being blown down, was pole-axed in 2017 when an intoxicated driver failed to take a bend and struck the plinth.
Dials: Cube, Historical Dials
March 2018
Page 36
Page 36
An overview of the Society's activities supporting the advancement of gnomonic education. Highlights include extensive outreach (lectures, school workshops), advice to professional bodies (e.g., Buckingham Palace, Royal Observatory Greenwich), maintenance of the national sundial database, and the healthy financial status of the BSS. Membership numbers and age distribution are discussed as a cause for concern.
The BSS and Members
December 2018
Page 14
Page 14
Account of crafting the M-29, a complex slate double horizontal dial delineated for Somerton. The design required extensive research, spreadsheets for data, and the extension of a beam compass to handle large radii for the stereographic projection. The article details the construction process, including V-cutting, material choice, and gnomon construction.
Construction Projects, Dials: Double Horizontal, Sundial Design & Layout
December 2018
Page 50
Page 50
Discusses various challenges in construction projects: ensuring builders are briefed, problems with adhesive on plastic hour lines, and extreme delays (nine years and counting) in installing a replacement dial at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, due to regulatory hurdles.
Construction Projects, Restoration projects
September 2017
Page 16
Page 16
This describes a 40cm square, diamond-format horizontal sundial made of Welsh slate, featuring a brass gnomon with a nodus notch. It includes an EoT graph and declination curves. The inscription uses four phrases from Sir Francis Bacon’s essay ‘Of Gardens’ and was commissioned as an 80th birthday gift.
Dials: Horizontal, Sundial Design & Layout
September 2017
Page 23
Page 23
Reporting on a sundial seen on a new building in Dickens Heath, Solihull, the author notes that, despite initial delight, the dial was inaccurate upon closer inspection. The wall declines 59° East, and the author intends to contact the designer to persuade them to correct the inaccuracies.
Dials: Vertical, Sundial Design & Layout
September 2017
Page 26
Page 26
This describes the creation of a temporary analemmatic sundial on the grounds of Wroxton Primary School, intended as an educational resource. Components were made from red plastic board using stencils and spray paint. Alignment relied on Google Earth data, as the sun did not appear. The authors suggest this project, executed before the Oxford Conference, could become a BSS custom.
Construction Projects, DIY Sundial Projects, Dials: Analemmatic, The BSS and Members
June 2016
Page 13
Page 13
Description of a new direct east-facing moon dial commissioned for a client. The dial's gnomon is modelled on the nodus star of the Albi cathedral dial. It can function as a sundial using a chart located nearby, which also provides Equation of Time data.
Construction Projects, Dials: Nocturnals, Dials: Vertical, Equation of Time
June 2015
Page 46
Page 46
A report outlining the Society’s activities, including celebrating the Silver Jubilee, improving the website interface (Bridol operational), holding educational workshops at Cheney School, implementing the CIO status change, and acknowledging member participation.
The BSS and Members
March 2012
Page 43
Page 43
This article details the author’s investigation into the enigmatic scaphe dial at Hever Castle, often called the "Roman" sundial. It discusses its historical background, previous examinations by Ward and Vaughan, and the author's measurements and analysis, concluding it is likely an unworkable dial despite its ancient appearance.
How Sundials Work, Historical Dials, Dials: Scaphe
September 2012
Page 26
Page 26
This section introduces several recent sundial projects, including an Olympic sundial by David Brown (an analemmatic dial), a vertical school science centre dial featuring periodic table elements, and the Angel with Sundial at Talaton church by Harriet James, inspired by Chartres Cathedral.
Dials: Vertical, Dials: Analemmatic, Sundial Design & Layout, Construction Projects
September 2010
Page 8
Page 8
This section describes two new sundials: a 50 cm diameter slate horizontal dial by David Brown for a client in Derbyshire, resembling the Hampton Court sundial and featuring a nodus and coat of arms; and a Carrera marble house sign sundial by Harriet James for the BSS Editorial Office.
Construction Projects, Dials: Horizontal, Sundial Design & Layout
June 2000
Page 55
Page 55
Describes the design and installation of a new multi-faced sundial at Christ Church, Oxford, inspired by a historical dial by Kratzer.
Dials: Multi Faced, Sundial Design & Layout
June 2000
Page 59
Page 59
Narrates the author's journey through the design, construction, and installation of the Christ Church sundial.
Construction Projects, Dials: Multi Faced
February 1993
Page 26
Page 26
This report summarises the British Sundial Society's Bath Conference, detailing various talks and activities. Topics included drawing dials, human elements in sundial safaris, computer spreadsheet approaches, celestial sphere models, domifying circles, scratch dials, and the proposed Sundial Award Scheme, fostering companionship and enthusiasm.
The BSS and Members