Category: Wessex Sundials

ST MICHAEL DE RUPE . BRENTOR . DEVON

GRADE 1 ❖ Original church mid-C12; rebuilt C13; C15 tower, alterations; restorations 1890. Perched on a volcanic tor, visible for miles around and – from its lofty position – with a view even further. PEV admired this ‘exciting sight’ in a short but enthusiastic entry, noting that ‘… the W front is not 3 feet from the precipice’. 6m N of Tavistock. 50.6033 / -4.1623 / SX470804

SUNDIAL DETAILS

The slate sundial, dated 1624, is fixed high up on the south wall of tower. The date at the top encloses the initials of Walter Batten, viz 16 WB 24. It is surmounted by a cartoonish angel, as if drawn by a child. The gnomon emerges from a rustic sun, with a hole (from an earlier dial) beneath it. IIII stands for IV. Apart from damage ULQ, the condition is remarkably good, especially given the exposed position of the church (‘Rupe’ = rock / cliff).

UPPER

LOWER

The standard resources (HE, BLB etc) reference the 12 signs of the Zodiac as forming a border. In fact there are 6 decorative designs – squiggles – on either side in approximately matching pairs, with a floral pattern in each corner below. BSS notes that the T and E of WALTER are ‘fused’; and the Ts of BATTEN are also stylized. You can see all these details clearly in the top image.

EARLIER RESEARCH – MRS CROWLEY

Between about 1950 – 1965, Mrs Jeanie Crowley undertook the massive task of recording dozens of church sundials in Cornwall and Devon. With great skill, she made detailed and accurate pencil drawings of each dial. In most cases she gave other details – measurements, unusual features, damage etc. For St Michael, this includes ‘gnomon gone’, suggesting that the present one is relatively recent. This would explain the hole below. She also suggests a ‘primitive’ Zodiac link.

Fortunately, St Michael was included in her survey, drawn in 1959. Mrs Crowley’s notes are your guide. 60 years later a powerful lens confirms them.

All photos by our friend John Renner, to whom much thanks for enabling this post.

Ref. Mrs Crowley’s Sundial Sketchbooks of Devon & Cornwall, edited by John Lester. 386pp. British Sundial Society; The Antiquarian Horological Society

HOLY ROOD . WOOL . DORSET

G II* C13 origins; enlarged in C15; rebuild / extensive renovation late C19. The church is hard to find in the thick fleece of modern Wool. It is S of the station, with a smallish sign directing you up a country lane that is a no through road. After your visit, you’ll be straight back into modern life. 50.6776 / -2.2172 / SY847864

DIAL

At some stage during work on the church, a dozen or so black stones were used at W end, as the photo above shows. On one of these, on W side of the buttress, is a simple dial cut into the black stone and inverted.

The dial has 5 upward-facing radials

DIAL REVERTED

The dial, reverted, suggests from the deeper cut radials LRQ that originally the time of observance was in the afternoon.

GSS Category: Inverted Dial; Reverted Dial (image); W facing Dial

All photos Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

ST CHAD’S . PATTINGHAM . STAFFS

BALUSTER DIAL 1818

GRADE II* Late C12 – C14; rebuilt mid-C17 after fire; extensive restoration late C19 (G Scott). In addition to scratch dials [see https://gaudiumsubsole.org/2026/09/] there is a very fine baluster sundial in the Churchyard, dated 1818. Mid-way between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton. 52.5898  -2.2657  SO820991

DIAL

This fine dial seems to be in very good condition. It is a ‘Baddeley’ dial dated 1818, so not made by the pre-eminent John who died in 1804. Those more skilled in dial interpretation than I will, I think, enjoy it. I haven’t been able to work out how the clock speed works.

THE CLOCK SPEEDS

GSS Category: Baluster dial; Pedestal dial; Baddeley dial maker; Clock reader

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

ST CHAD’S . PATTINGHAM . STAFFS

SCRATCH DIALS

GRADE II* Late C12 – C14; rebuilt mid-C17 after fire; extensive restoration late C19 (G Scott). A lovely church with plenty to admire. PEV has a small but enthusiastic entry. In addition to scratch dials, there is a very fine baluster sundial in the Churchyard, dated 1818 that will be written up separately in the relevant section. On the ground in front of S wall is the bust of an angel, formerly an adornment of the Houses of Parliament. Mid-way between Bridgnorth and Wolverhampton. 52.5898  -2.2657  SO820991

DIALS

St Chad’s has 2 fine dials on S wall – large, clear-cut, and easy to see. In another area of S wall, I found a small design that is plausibly a simple dial – a small circle with a hole at the centre. Nearby was a less convincing design that I discounted. For the excellent Baluster Dial (1818) in the churchyard, see https://gaudiumsubsole.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=25027&action=edit

DIAL 1

Located at E end of S wall. Large, covering 3 stones. A full circle split horizontally by the mortar-line. The upper half has no radials or other marks dial-ish marks. Probably the large, deep hole URQ has nothing to do with the dial. The gnomon hole in the mortar line and the area round it is significantly damaged.

The lower half is a ‘6-to-6’ dial, below which 8 radials are clear. The deeper cut line at mid-morning may indicate the significant time of day for observance at this church.

DIAL 2

A very visible buttress dial, cut into a single stone. The style hole is (almost) at the centre, and has been enlarged over time (on purpose rather by corrosion). The position and spacing of the radials is unusual, making the dial significantly asymmetric. There are 5 lines visible LLQ, then the noon line, then five more LRQ. There are faint suggestions of other, eroded lines, but overall the dial lacks the symmetry one might expect.

DOUBTFUL

ST MARY . BISHOP’S LYDEARD . SOMERSET

GRADE I ❖ C14 / C15. Fine perp. tower (c1497) – Best of the outstanding group of (Somerset) towers built around 1500. PEV (also enthusiastic for the fine bench-ends). Well worth exploring as a whole. Helpful Church material. 5m NW of Taunton. 51.06111 -3.18861 ST16802976

DIAL

On the porch gable can be seen RHS a small sector of a large dial cut into the red sandstone. It is badly damaged and what remains is hard to make out (see BSS interpretation below). One could say that it isn’t strictly a (part) scratch dial at all, but rather a later and more sophisticated time measurer. If so, it may date to ±1600.

BSS records: On the gable of the porch. The dial was originally incised into the wall. Hour lines were marked from 7am to 5pm but only a few lines and numerals can now be seen. The hours are marked in two arcs with 7am and 5pm being at a smaller radius. The dial has been shaded by a large Yew tree for over 100 years. [Of note is that BSS classifies the dial in its records as ‘vertical dial’, rather than ‘scratch dial’ RH].

Interestingly, BLB notes that ‘a pediment over the entrance contains remains of a ‘scratch clock‘ (ie rather than ‘scratch dial’).

DEH did not include St Mary in his exhaustive Somerset church research between 1910 – 15. Possibly he missed the dial because of its unusual position (for a scratch dial) or its poor condition. If he saw the dial, he may not have considered it a scratch dial to add to his collection, but rather a later style of time-indicator.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Gable location; incised detail

A straightforward modern commemorative dial at Minterne House in Dorset, bestowed by the National Gardening Scheme. When I took these photos recently, I forgot to check whether the very pretty pedestal dial that was originally in that part of the gardens had been re-located (see below, a dial with a view)..

MINTERNE: A DIAL WITH A VIEW

GSS Category: Garden Sundial; Commemorative Sundial; Pedestal Sundial

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

ST MARY THE VIRGIN . ALDINGBOURNE

GRADE I ❖ A slightly puzzling church. Mainly C13 but with Norman arches, pillars, and one window. BLB notes Chancel, south vestry, nave with south aisle, and porch and tower in the centre of the north side + Medieval church with ‘good interior’ C19 external restoration. 6m E of Chichester (allow for traffic). 50.8415 /  -0.6899 / SU923054

DIALS

There are two similar dials that are adjacent, or in fact slightly overlapping. The upper dial is pleasingly conventional. The lower dial is very rustic, with 5 rather haphazard lines and a somewhat potato-shaped circumference line. There is a faint scratched cross RHS.

DIAL 1 and 2 together

In this case, the dials speak for themselves. The only mystery is whether the 2 dials were cut together, or at least during the same period. My uneducated guess from the appearance of the stone, this looks very possible. So, a competition between 2 idle or bored sacristans (with a clear winner)? A ‘first draft’ that was later improved upon? A young bell ringer killing time perhaps…

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Paired Dials; Dials on single stone;

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

GRADE II* ✣ C13 origins; rebuilding / restoration late C19. Use of local Doulting stone. More to this church than some brief mentions allow – for example the interior layout. See instead the detailed BLB entry HERE Also this, for Brass enthusiasts: two small brasses of 1673 and 1690 to Edward Bennet and his wife Susan, the latter signed in copperplate lettering: Guliet Cockey de Wincanto(n), Reputed to be the only such signed brass found in Somerset. Part of the churchyard is managed as a wildlife site under the Living Churchyard project. 51.1239 / 51°7’25″N;  -2.4019 / 2°24’6″W / ST719361

VERTICAL DIAL

The dial is situated high up on E quoin of S face of the tower. The dial-stone is large and eroded to the extent that there are no visible dial features or markings. Perhaps there never were. The ‘iron rod’ gnomon is pleasingly simple, and from some angles makes a square frame.

SCRATCH DIALS: see https://gaudiumsubsole.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=24465&action=edit

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Vertical Dial Church; Gnomon details;

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

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

❖ ❖ ❖ ❖

WARTIME GRAFFITI: CLOSE BY IS RAF TANGMERE WHICH PLAYED SUCH A VITAL AND DECISIVE ROLE IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN, 1940.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Priest’s Door Dials; Dial Pairs

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour