BRIDOL is the British Sundial Society's Register of Fixed and Mass Dials, which gives detail and photographs of about 8000 fixed sundials and 3000 mass dials in the UK.
Some of these are in private gardens, but the majority are publicly available.
On the north wall of the garden at the rear of the hotel is a copper vertical dial, one of a number of not quite identical examples made by Pearson Page in the early part of the 20th century. They are close copies of an old stone dial at Peterborough and carry spurious dates (1663 in this case) and the inscription ’O Beata Solitudo O Sola Beatitudo mihi Opidum Carcer est et Solitudo Paradisus’ (O blessed solitude, O solitary blessedness. The town to me is a prison and solitude is paradise.’ This comes from a Latin poem by Bishop Cornelius Muis [1503-1572]. The word ’oppidum’ is misspelt.) There is also the motto ’Deus Nobiscum Et Corona Manuum Opus Nostrum.’ (God be with us and crown the work of our hands.’). In capitals across the bottom of the dial is ’VIVAT CAROLUS SECUNDUS’ (Long live Charles II).while on other examples it is Charles I who is commemorated. The dial shows the hours 6am to 6pm with VI in Roman numerals and the rest in Arabic. Noon is marked by a cross. All the numerals are transfixed by the hour lines.
