GRADE II ❖ Medieval base. 6-metre Column dated 1741. One sundial face also has that date. All but plinth block entirely rebuilt 1982. The fluted Tuscan column was perhaps copied from a similar one at Wilton. 8m NW of Yeovil. 50.970 / -2.7666 / ST462192
DIAL
The images were taken starting from approx. NW, moving counter-clockwise. All four faces are included, some clearer than others. The various gnomon styles are shown. I have divided the photos into 2 blocks for simplicity. The dial is topped with a ball finial, which in turn supports an attractive weathervane.
As if this sundial were not enough, Martock’s very fine All Saints church has an excellent cube dial over the gateway: ALL SAINTS . MARTOCK . CUBE DIAL
MARTOCK HISTORY CLUB has a good article about the dial and other local features of interest.
GRADE II ❖. 1795. Market Cross on site of earlier cross. Ham stone. Circular base with two chamfered offsets, set on circular step; square stepped plinth carrying simple Doric column with entablature moulding over, then square-plan block with sundials having sheet metal gnomons, and a ball finial with wrought-iron wind vane. (VCH, Vol III, 1974).
DIAL M FOR MISFORTUNE
The VCH record of 1974 pre-dated 2 subsequent calamities. The original dial, erected in 1792 was significantly damaged in 1990 gales. A replacement with new column, dial, and gnomons was erected in 1991 (BSS). The original dial motto was indecipherable and was replaced by a new motto Tempus Orbis.
Then in 2017, a car drove directly into the monument, smashing the base and causing the whole edifice to collapse (see below). ST 52193 22723
This is a fine example of a Market Cross, one of 3 or 4 in the region (eg Martock). Tall, slender, and uncomplicated, the dial is pleasingly in proportion to the overall design. My camera didn’t deal with the height well enough to show the detail. Several angles of the dial and gnomons are shown, but not the markings on each face. However, there is a close-up view of one face of the dial below.
MONUMENTAL DAMAGE 2017
Early one August morning a car drove directly into the monument. The driver seems to have been unhurt, and was arrested for drunk driving (outcome unknown). The impact smashed the base and destabilised the entire structure. The images below show the dramatic aftermath. The monument was in due course rebuilt using parts of the original structure(s) where possible. It now, unsurprisingly, in excellent condition.
The restorers BODEN & WARD earned a prestigious award for this challenging project. The link will take you to their records; the photos of some of the reconstruction work are fascinating.
TEMPUS ORBIS
A simple-seeming motto that is hard to translate. Not mentioned by Gatty. The literal ‘Time (of the) World’ doesn’t really work. Perhaps ‘the Circle of Time’, given that the quotidian day lights each face as the world orbits the sun.
The 1691 vertical dial on the Old Post Office in the centre of the village is in an unusual position, on the south-facing side of a tall chimney. It is repositioned, and predates the later prosperity and significance of Milborne Port in C18. At one time there were several local industries. There was even a large ‘ball court’ (for a form of Fives) that still exists as a ruin; and a polo ground. The small size and the height of the dial renders it unsatisfactory for marking the passage of the day. The theory that it was moved during the expansion of the main part of the village and retained as part of the community’s history may be the most plausible explanation for its present position.
BSS record: Eroded. Markings extremely hard to make out. Hourly markings. Arabic numerals. Presumed to show 6am to 6pm. Open triangular gnomon.
As noted above, Milborne Port was once an important and prosperous village, benefiting from the London road. I have added a link below for anyone who wants to get an idea of its former significance. The village of today, while retaining much evidence of its past, seems no longer the thriving community of former times.
GRADE II* ❖ C13 and later, south aisle added 1870s. Three stage octagonal tower, a feature of this area of Somerset (see Barrington, Stoke St Gregory, North Curry, Podimore and Weston Bamfylde). Close by is a fine market cross with a cube dial, also found in other towns and villages locally (eg Martock, Ilchester) – separate post in due course. 51.0009 / -2.6818 / ST522226
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Without guidance, it would be easy to overlook the dial. DEH does not mention it. I only discovered it from the very informative church leaflet. Despite the clues to its position, it still took me a while to find the relocated and inverted dial, barely 2ft off the ground.
Dial details – Church Leaflet
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REVERSION
With relocated dials, especially inverted ones, it’s often worth seeing how they originally looked. This dial takes on a different appearance when righted.
The two dark areas are almost certainly the footings for a vertical sundial. The slight alignment to the right of vertical suggests a calculated angle. The leaflet note that the dial used to be high on the south wall of the nave definitely suggests a vertical dial rather than a scratch dial (which would be pointless in a high position). Seeing it in its original location, I might have described it as an inverted vertical dial with a damaged surround and erosion evident, especially RHS where faint lines can just be detected.
So, without being didactic, I can’t be sure that this is a scratch dial as opposed to a later vertical dial. All comments welcome.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Octagonal Church Tower Somerset; Vertical Dial
GRADE 1 ❖ Saxon / Norman origins. Chancel and nave c1350, rest C15, restorations 1869 and late C20. A fine example of a Somerset church, most rewarding to visit. Early C16 screen, bench ends of note. Jacobean inverted font. Splendid doors that look entirely original. A bier and an interesting clock (not openly accessible). 10m NW of Taunton. 51.0819 / -3.2461 / ST128321
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SCRATCH DIAL
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The dial is easily seen on W side of the priest’s door. It is a pleasingly straightforward quarter dial marking 6 to noon. The line spacing is somewhat random, and there is some confusion around noon, with faint lines detectable.
DEH visited St Lawrence on Sep 27th 1913, one of his early expeditions. He noted: The stylehole is large and oval, and may have been made so in efforts to extract the style. It is hard to see why this should be done with no new style added; but it does show that the removal of the gnomon was more than a century ago, and not a recent act of vandalism.
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VERTICAL DIAL 1653
BSS Record:The hours use XII for noon and IIII for four pm, and VI, VII and VIII am are written backwards (round the clock’), as is not uncommon. Around the gnomon are carved I HT S / WARDNES / 1653, the W of WARDNES being superimposed Vs, and the letters NE being conjoined, both presumably to save space.
The gnomon is an iron bar with a hooked tip, and the straight support has a curled spur on the upper side and its own hook at the top.
GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Vertical Dial; Dated Dial
GRADE I ⚘ C17 Attractive small manor house with lovely gardens and a small arboretum. NT. Plenty of information online. Don’t miss St Margaret’s with its remarkable scaphe dial above the porch, and 6+ scratch dials – links below. 4m NW of Yeovil
ARMILLARY SPHERE
A fine armillary sphere surmounted by a charming pairing of an exotic galleon and a delicately stylised sun. The gardens as they are now were designed by Phyllis Reiss after she and her husband bought the house in 1933. She died in 1961, leaving the property to NT. My guess is that the dial dates to mid-1930 as the new gardens took shape.
TINTINHULL GARDENS . DECORATIVE FEATURES ON THE ARMILLARY SPHERE
The entire contents of Sandford Orcas Manor, a fine example of country house Tudor, have been auctioned following 4 days of viewings. The sale has generated much interest and excitement both locally and well beyond. Such a complete disposal – even the family Bible (1702) was included – is quite rare. The house dates from mid C16 and has been in the same family for 300 years. It has a reputation for being ‘the most haunted house in England‘. The task of gathering statistics to support this proposition must have been a nightmare.
Two sundials were sold and are now removed from the property. One is a conventional garden dial, gnomon-less, on a baluster stone pedestal. The other is an armillary sphere grandly resting on a substantial triple plinth and supported by a tall ironwork obelisk.
HORIZONTAL DIAL (C18) BY NAIRNE & BLUNT
Edward Nairne and Thomas Blunt established themselves in London as scientific instrument makers. They worked together between 1774 and 1793 and this dial must be from that period.
Barrington Court is a fine county house near Ilminster in Somerset, now in the care of NT. There is wonderful multi-faceted dodecahedral pillar dial in front of the house that I have written about HERE.
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Barrington Court . Som . Horizontal Dial
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ROSE GARDEN DIAL
The sturdy horizontal pedestal dial stands on a double plinth in the centre of the large rose and iris garden. It has a sad recent history. In Spring 2000 the original C19 bronze dial plate by Carey was levered off and stolen. It has never been recovered.
Barrington Court . Som . Horizontal Dial after theft of plate in 2000
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On the bright side, a wonderful faithful reproduction by John Davis was installed in 2013, and the dial is restored to its glory for the future.
Barrington Court . Som . Horizontal Dial
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It is described as an attractive horizontal dial of some complexity. The Equation of Time scale is engraved around the dial; all points of compass are shown; and it has one minute time marks BSS. These complex features can be seen clearly in the final image below.
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Barrington Court . Som . Horizontal Dial
GSS Category: Horizontal Dial; Pedestal Dial
All photos: Keith Salvesen except NT / Simon Harris above
GRADE 1 † Mid-C13 with earlier origins; expansion to C16; restorations by Ferrey and Scott 1860 and later. A most impressive Parish church with a 4-stage tower. Admired by PEV as one of the loveliest of Somerset churches on account of its splendid Perp. work on the nave; and for being remarkably airy and spacious. 50.9693 / -2.7687 / ST461191
A fine cube dial in good condition. It apparently replaced one that had been in the same position, but it is not clear when. The images largely speak for themselves. However I have noticed from the close-up photos that the dial is canted slightly west. It’s worth repeating that it is never possible to get a decent photo of the 4th side of a cube.
All Saints merits time set aside for a visit. Stocks enthusiasts will enjoy a particularly fine example. You’ll find a gallery of them HERE.
GSS Category: Cube Dial; Church Sundial; Canted Dial; Village Stocks
GV II* C13 origins with some C15 work but drastically restored in 1875 BLB. Fine chest tombs. Village of historical importance as a bell-foundry between C16 and C18, originating with the Purdue family. Notable bells survive from its earliest days eg. Wells Cathedral. Somerset / Dorset border 50.8883 / -2.6214 / ST563100
DIAL
An agreeable churchyard dial in a pretty setting. Missing its gnomon, possibly vandalised (cf Lillington quite nearby). The dial plate is a familiar design, though without a maker’s mark or other indication of its origins.
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TOMB OF WILLIAM COLLINS, 1609
HERE . LYETH . THE . BODIE . OF . WILLIAM . COLLINS . THE . SONNE . OF . ELLIS . COLLINS . WHO DIED . THE . XXIX . OF . IAN . ANO . DOMI . 1609
GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN 