St Mark & St Luke’s Church, Avington

Late style mass dial, one of several on this church. The dial illustrated is inscribed into the lintel above the doorway to the porch. It is almost invisible to the naked eye. Look for the two holes. It has inscribed hour lines and some vertical Roman hour numerals (X, I, II, III) are visible along the bottom edge. The gnomon is missing (as invariably in such dials) but two mount holes are clearly visible. The Norman church, regarded as one of the finest in the country, has two more mass dials on the south east buttress. One is circular, but the only visible radial lines go down and left from the gnomon hole. The other is a quadrant - probably a fragment of a dial. The porch, almost the only post-Norman addition to the church, is made of Tudor materials but may have been erected later. Access arrangements: Avington Church stands in a private estate off the A4 but access can usually be gained during daylight. Currently (2012), if you drive slowly up to the gate it will open electrically. The key to the church can be obtained from the fourth house in the row but is not needed just to see the dials.