July 2023 – GAUDIUM SUB SOLE: Scratch Dials & Sundials Medieval to Modern

ALCISTON CHURCH . E SUSSEX . (Dedication Unknown) – Modern Column Dial

Published on July 26, 2023July 26, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ALCISTON CHURCH has no Dedication. That is quite unusual, inviting speculation and maybe inspiring research into the history. I didn’t get that far because this is a multiple scratch dial church, with 4 good examples to admire and write up. You can read my piece about them HERE

In the churchyard there was an object that attracted our attention. This eye-catching slender column had only recently been dug in, and was in pristine condition. Clearly it is a memorial, but no details were marked. The sides and the back are plain. The large hole at the top is lined with gold, which looks very good. As a whole, it is obviously designed with care and made with skill.

DIAL

The dial itself is pleasingly symmetrical, and the composition works very well. I think it is not necessarily intended to have a gnomon, though someone has chosen to improvise with a stick.

However, because it faces roughly E rather than S, its ability to mark the passage of the day is limited. Also, the divisions of the lines would be cut differently. However, as a memorial stone, strict accuracy as a sundial may well not be a consideration anyway. It is a fine piece of work in a lovely setting.

GSS Category: Modern Dial; Vertical Dial; Column Dial; Memorial Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen; thanks to John Foad BSS

BROADWEY . DORSET . ST NICHOLAS – Scratch Dial

Published on July 24, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST NICHOLAS . BROADWEY . DORSET

GRADE II † Almost entirely rebuilt & enlarged in successive stages from the beginning of C19, incorporating reused details of C12 fragments, C14 and C15 stonework. Rather incongruous neo-Norman features. C12 Purbeck marble font; fine nail-studded medieval door. Tower-less and Spire-less. 4m N of Weymouth. 50.6506 / 50°39’2″N / SY667835

DIAL

The dial is on the L jamb of the early doorway (inside later porch), and remains of a full circle are still visible. 6 lines radiate from a small filled hole that is significantly off-centre. One line is elongated beyond the circle. The None line is emphasised by a small pock near the end. The noon line (if it is one) is the most unassuming of them all. There’s a hint that very light graffiti has been superimposed on the dial.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial

All photos Keith Salvesen; diagram BSS

BINCOMBE . DORSET . HOLY TRINITY – Scratch Dial

Published on July 22, 2023July 22, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

GRADE I † Late 12th-century origins (parts of nave & chancel evident). Mainly C15 with later additions; S porch added C17 using old stonework; extensive restoration 1865. C13 font; Purdue bell 1658. Off the beaten track in a valley midway between Dorchester & Weymouth. Hardy-esque. 50.6599 / -2.445 / SY686845

Bincombe Church 1802 (Gentleman’s Magazine)

DIAL

Bincombe is a hidden village in the folds of the hills inland from the pleasures of Weymouth. It’s a mere 20m from our house yet until I visited a church nearby, it wasn’t on my radar at all. I must have passed close by it hundreds of times.

The dial is located on the E jamb of the SW chancel window, about 2m from ground level . GLP describes 4 short lines, with the noon indicator being the gap between two of them. He notes that the dial must have been moved to its position for reuse as part of the window jamb, truncating 2 lines LHS. Finally, he concludes that, the window being C15, the dial predates 1400.

The dial, small and chunky, is in the top L corner of the dial stone. I haven’t seen one quite like it. The gnomon hole is surprisingly deep for such a little dial. In situ (and in the photos), there are ghosts of 2 or 3 lines LRQ angling towards the hole (but not converging?) Probably best disregarded.

CHURCH MARKS

Holy Trinity has a fine selection of crosses / protection marks drilled into the porch entrance. Here are a couple of examples.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial

All photos, Keith Salvesen; engraving from Wiki

LILLINGTON . DORSET . ST MARTIN of TOURS – HORIZONTAL MEMORIAL SUNDIAL

Published on July 19, 2023November 30, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST MARTIN . LILLINGTON . DORSET

GRADE I † C13 origin, chancel & tower C15, porch C17, south chapel C18. Restored 1848. A small hamlet, a fine church, a tithe barn, a manor house. Sir Walter Raleigh prayed here. Perfect rural Dorset – secluded in a valley, reached only by narrow lanes, and very much a longcut for traffic. 2m over the fields from our house, 15+ minutes drive. 50.9127 / -2.5283 / ST629127

Note: St Martin has 3 scratch dials that are featured HERE

Addendum July 2023 below

DIAL

This is a rather special and unusual dial in a lovely setting. It was installed in 1990, and commemorates Robin Higgin (1928 – 1986), as inscribed around the edge of the circular dial stone. On the top of the stone, the words ‘In Loving Memory’ are inscribed around the dial itself.

The dial has an adjustable gnomon, and the plate was clearly made specially rather than being a standard model. It has a pleasingly rustic look. The lines to the numerals are rays from the central sun. On the dial edge, on either side of the gnomon, are the words dawn and dusk look as if handwritten rather than machine-engraved.

MEMORIAL INSCRIPTION

ADDENDUM

In July 2023 I revisited St Martin to check the orientation of this dial following a query by JF (BSS). Since my last visit, and most regrettably, the gnomon has disappeared and the edge of the dial stone has been damaged. As for orientation, the dial is sited (or re-sited) so that XII points NE, negating a time-passage function.

GSS Category: Horizontal Dial; Memorial Sundial; Churchyard Sundial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

HARDINGTON MANDEVILLE . SOM . ST MARY (revisited) – Scratch Dial

Published on July 17, 2023July 17, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

DEDICATION † ST MARY – 1123 (on earlier site)

LISTING † II*

LOCATION † 3m SW of Yeovil, near E & W Coker 50.9048 / -2.6949 / ST512119

An extended village close to the A30 yet approached by lanes (as they are actually named) rather than roads. A peaceful feel to it, especially at dusk ~~when this poor photo was taken~~. The church had ‘much work’ carried out in C15 and C18. Tower probably of 1123, in three stages, font possibly from same date. BLB.

I visited St Mary a couple of years ago at dusk (it was last on a list), so I have re-photographed the church and updated the post.

DIAL † At the W. end and quite easily overlooked. DEH did not investigate or list it in 1915. A full circle, one clear radial and a square style hole. Possible trace of outer circle top left. Not noted in BLB, HE, nor in TWC extensive list of Somerset dials. I found only one reference to this dial that led me here; since then, one passing reference to a sundial in the porch – perhaps this dial relocated in C15?

NOTES The circular font is thought to be original dating from 1123, and the clock mechanism was built and installed before 1707. There are 6 bells in the tower, 3 of which are from the Purdue (Closworth) foundry, with the earliest being dated 1591

GSS Category – Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

ROSEMOOR GARDENS . TORRINGTON . DEVON – Pillar Dial 2004

Published on July 12, 2023July 13, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ROSEMOOR GARDENS

Renowned RHS gardens near Torrington, Devon. It’s a wonderful place. You can find out all about it HERE. For present purposes, the focus is on the very fine sundial installed in the gardens in 2004. This is a project of the BRITISH SUNDIAL SOCIETY and the description below is from the BSS record:

This is an unusual dial in the form of a triangular section pillar made of Delabole slate and 1820mm high. It was designed by Sir Mark Lennox-Boyd and made by Ben Jones. It carries a motto on the 610mm diameter slate base ‘But only in time can the moment in the rose-garden be remembered’ (T.S.Eliot, modified from a passage in Burnt Norton, the first of the Four Quartets).

On two of the faces are pairs of declining dials one above the other. The upper ones are drawn for December to June and the lower ones for June to December. The hour lines are corrected for the Equation of Time.There are three declination lines on each dial. Arabic numerals are used and the dials show BST. The easterly dial shows 5:30am to 1:30pm in half and quarter hours while the westerly dial shows 12:30pm to 9:30pm similarly divided. The north dial has dedications to V M Dickinson, M J C Wright, H Addy and R Addy.

DIAL IMAGES 1

DIAL IMAGES 2

Images taken from the designer’s magisterial book Sundials: History, Art, People, Science. The design below seems an excellent example of art meeting science.

GSS Category: Pillar Dial; Modern Sundial; Pillar Sundial

Credits: Photos by John Renner; material from the book by Mark Lennox-Boyd; British Sundial Society

KINGSBURY EPISCOPI . SOM . ST MARTIN – Scratch Dial

Published on July 11, 2023May 1, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST MARTIN . KINGSBURY EPISCOPI . SOM

GRADE 1 † C14, C15 with C19 restorations. Predominantly Perp. A large and impressive building in a small community, admired by PEV: ‘of great interest’. A companion to nearby Huish Episcopi. 9m NW of Yeovil. 50.9865 / -2.8042 / ST436210

NOTE: this post has been superseded in April 2024 after a visit in sunshine. The faint dial markings owing to poor light are now legible. The text is much the same. See the new post HERE

DIAL

The dial is located on the W buttress on the S side, and has a gnomon hole large enough to be seen from the church path. DEH visited in Sept 1912 and noted that, because the dial is about 8′ above ground level, it would have been moved to its present position during reconstruction of the tower (the oldest part of the church).

The dial is very eroded, and it is now hard to make out the details. DEH describes a complete wheel of thin lines without a circle. More than a hundred years later, the design is very faint indeed. Neither inspection nor photos reveal what DEH will have seen.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

PENALLT OLD CHURCH . MONMOUTH . ST MARY – Vertical Dial

Published on July 5, 2023 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

GRADE 1 † Records from 1254; low C14 tower (1st stage) later heightened; mainly C15 / 16. C16 waggon roofs. Bells from C17. Restorations 1870s. BLB notes coped gable with apex cross, but omits the prominent dial. A fine hillside church with wonderful views from high above the Wye valley. 6m S of Monmouth. 51.7932 / -2.6945 / SO521107

DIAL

An excellent dial, easy to miss. The tree-lined avenue that now leads to the church completely obscures the dial as you approach up the path. Trying to view the dial from other vantage points gives a sideways view. Attempting to take clear shots of the dial is a pleasurable challenge. Move branches aside.

The dial makes for an attractive gable end, and is surmounted by a cross. It is fairly damaged / eroded. A 6-to-6 dial with noon marked by a cross; IIII as IV. The gnomon is modern and rather squiggly / shiny for an old dial.

Dating the dial is not easy. A broad comparison with similar dial designs suggests ± 1800.

The Old Church is in a lovely setting, and besides TRELLECK this is the most rewarding dial to admire in the immediate area. Take a small picnic and sit in the churchyard for peak enjoyment. Other treats include a handsome door (1532) and a walk-though squint.