OVING . SUSSEX W . St Andrew’s Church

GRADE II ❖ C13 / E.E. Cruciform; W tower with shingled spire. Roughcast facing. Very attractive small medieval church, little restored (BLB). Approved by Pevsner (unusually harmonious…the showpiece is N doorway in a simple but very sophisticated style). 4 miles E of Chichester. 50.8379 -0.722 / SU900050

DIALS

A ‘matched’ pair of dials on either side of the priest’s entrance, unusually cut at exactly the same level.

DIAL 1

Very much a ‘morning dial’, with a curve of dots LLQ 9 – 12. Damage makes it hard to assess the number, but at least 6 (perhaps a group of 3 marking the noon-line?). The gnomon hole is deep and was probably enlarged / damaged much later – it looks very neatly drilled. Of particular note is the faint circle border that looks, in sunlight, almost complete. An optimist might suggest the hint of an outer circle, esp. LLQ.

DIAL 2

Level with its companion dial, this one is badly eroded / damaged. The gnomon hole is central, and there are visible dial features. Of these, the clearest is the radial at ‘9’, suggesting that mid morning was the main time for observance. I wondered when and why the grey ‘wash’ was applied