STANWAY . GLOS . ST PETER – Vertical Dial; Scratch Dial?

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Stanway . Glos . St Peter

ST PETER . STANWAY . GLOS

GRADE II* ✣ Parish Church. C12 origins; C13 tower; further works C15, C17, C18; restorations 1896 ff. An attractive country church beside the Manor House, close to a remarkable village cricket ground (see below). 11m E of Tewksbury, 12m NE of Cheltenham. 51.9897 / -1.9129 / SP060323

VERTICAL DIAL

The dial is immediately above a 2-light Perpendicular window, and (when I visited) partly obscured by foliage. The gnomon-less dial is dated 1797

The dial is hard to read because of its weathered condition, its high position, and the difficulty taking a square-on photo. Little detail can be seen with the naked eye. There is evidence of a double rectangular border; and there are the remains of decoration above the dial face. The dial is prominently placed and (absent trees in front) would have been visible from quite a distance.

 

SCRATCH DIAL?

In his Glos dials survey, Tony Wood TW lists a scratch dial at Stanway without further detail. It is not noted in TWC’s much earlier list. I can find no other reference, and I did not find a convincing dial. The best candidate was this one, with 3 radials RHS emerging from a large hole. One other line LHS runs beside the hole rather than radiating from it. The other large hole to the left suggests that the pair may have held a fixture, and there is a similar pair lower down.

Tentative conclusion: this is possibly a scratch dial, but dubious. It might be more convincing if it were on its own.

CRICKET PITCH

Straying from dial-specific content, here is a small gallery of the extraordinary cricket pitch, the gift of J M Barrie who stayed at the house. The outfield includes significant areas of ridge and furrow undulations, rather more of a problem for fielders than batsmen I imagine. The pavilion, supported by staddle stones, is an excellent example of satisfying quirkiness. I found a old ball under it to chuck around for a while and decide which end to bowl from.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Scratch Dial (?)

All photos: Keith Salvesen

ROOKERY GARDENS . STREATHAM . LONDON – Horizontal Dial

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ROOKERY GARDENS . STREATHAM . LONDON

The day after Storm Isha wreaked havoc in various areas of the British Isles, there was a brief moment of sunshine during our short visit to London. We walked to the Rookery Gardens in Streatham, part of the estate of a large house that was demolished in 1912. The horizontal pedestal dial was immediately in front of us, demanding inspection. A very pleasing commemorative dial at the source of the western branch of the River Falcon, one of London’s many so-called Lost Rivers.

GSS Category: Horizontal Dial; Pedestal Dial

All photos Keith Salvesen; thanks to J & J for the productive walk

BARRINGTON COURT . SOM . HORIZONTAL DIAL

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Barrington Court . Somerset

BARRINGTON COURT . SOMERSET

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

LITTLEHAM-cum-EXMOUTH . DEVON . ST MARGARET & ST ANDREW – Vertical Dial; Scratch Dial

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St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Robert Cornford OS / CC

ST MARGARET & ST ANDREW . LITTLEHAM-cum-EXMOUTH . DEVON

GRADE II* ✣ Recorded from 1139; present building has C13 origins (chancel); 14th-century arcades; then Perpendicular with subsequent rebuilding and C19 restorations (Fulford). Resting place of Viscountess Nelson.

I have not visited the church myself, but Ian Logan contacted me about the vertical dial on the apex of the church porch. I have written this post around the dial, however Ian has produced an excellent detailed description of the church and its history that I highly commend.

LITTLEHAM CHURCH

          St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Ian Logan

St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon

BSS record: A stone dial, rather crude in execution and in poor condition, is mounted on the church porch. It is about 600mm square and shows the hours VI – Vl undivided. Although the numerals look as though they are aligned with the hour lines, the hour lines themselves have disappeared. The church leaflet says that the dial dates from 1780.

St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon

SCRATCH DIAL

There is an older dial – a scratch dial – on the right hand side of the porch doorway, probably C15. It is in poor condition, but there are 7 discernible lines radiating from the gnomon hole in the dial stone. These are two quite old photos of the dial (BSS). If anyone can provide a clear recent photo, it would be very welcome as an addition!

The ‘dawn’ line is now a prominent cleft in the damaged dial stone. The cluster of lines at and beyond noon LRQ indicate the most important part of the day for observance (none in canonical terms).

St Margaret & St Andrew . Littleham . Devon – Scratch Dial

MRS CROWLEY

This is an ideal place to use the wonderful drawing skills of Mrs Crowley to illustrate the vertical dial and scratch dial together. I have managed to obtain a copy of the comprehensive book of her Devon and Cornwall dial drawings, a work of wonder for dial-ologists.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial (1780); Scratch Dial

Credits: Keith Salvesen (photos); Ian Logan (photo, research); The Parish History Group (interesting and informative leaflet)

TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE . HORIZONTAL SUNDIAL

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Trinity College Cambridge . Sundial – view from Master’s Lodge to Great Gate (Keith Salvesen)

TRINITY COLLEGE CAMBRIDGE . GREAT COURT

THE TALE OF TWO DIALS

GRADE II ✣ 1704, dial renewed in 1795 by Edward Troughton of London. Simple stone baluster with moulded base and cap, set on 2 steps. RCHM.

The fine C18 horizontal sundial in Great Court has a long history, and an intriguing twist in its story. Over a period of 3 years I must have walked past or near it thousands of times without giving it a glance. The passage of the day was marked by the chimes of the famous clock, a sound that stays with me even today.

Trinity College Cambridge . Sundial – view towards the Master’s Lodge (Keith Salvesen)

BSS notes that the dial is showing its age to some degree. This rather weathered dial is nevertheless pleasing, equipped as it is with a sturdily elegant gnomon and some nice decorative fleurs de lys marking the half hours between its Roman numerals. The central compass has floral infill and there are Equation of Time rings running anti-clockwise which indicate whether a watch would be faster or slower than the dial.

Trinity College Cambridge . Sundial – view from above (Keith Salvesen)


The description ends with an intriguing footnote:The baluster pedestal on which the dial stands may be the same one which supported an earlier dial by John England (see BSS Register, SRN 5295). Which leads to the story of the original dial that was in place until Troughton’s renewal in 1795.

  John England Dial Plate 1704

The image above shows a gnomon-less dial plate made by John England in 1704. Like the pedestal, the plate is octagonal. It was rediscovered in a cupboard in the College in 2002. BSS recorded the find as follows:

Perhaps because of its period of safe keeping, this horizontal brass dial by John England is in excellent condition, though the gnomon is missing. The engraved numerals are clear and the grooves still retain their wax infill. Small screws at the root of the style are conjectured to be pivots for an associated swinging telescope. Shows 4am to 8pm in intervals down to 1 min. Uses XII and IIII. Numerals read from outside the dial. Fleurs de lys half hour markers. Hours written in Arabic too (16-24 and 1-8) with 24 at Noon. Inscription mentions Trinity College. It is now stored in the Wren Library.

Trinity College Cambridge . Sundial – view S towards the Fountain (Keith Salvesen)




GSS Category: Horizontal Dial; Pedestal Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen (Matric. 1970)

URVILLE . NORMANDY . NOTRE DAME – Multiple Scratch Dials, Protection Marks & Graffiti

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ÉGLISE NOTRE DAME DE URVILLE . NORMANDY

The area between Caen and Alençon contains a surprising number of churches with scratch dials. There are some rich pickings for scratch dial and church mark enthusiasts. It is not exactly a destination in itself, but is certainly vaut le voyage if you are in the region. Several churches have a plethora of designs and Urville is one of them. I gave up counting the dials and disentangling overlapping ones when the score reached twenty. 49° 01′ 31.44″ N, 0° 17′ 53.88″ W

There is no point in trying to analyse this amazing collection of dial art, nor guess its significance. It’s hard to find out much about the church at all except for the official write up to the effect This parish church, built in the village centre, replaced the former place of worship which had become too small. The present church is said to be C17. Using British churches as a guide, some of the dials & graffiti seem earlier. Presumably some of the original church’s stones were reused. It might make sense that the new church tempted the villagers to add to an existing display. Here is a varied selection.

DIALS

APOTROPAIC SYMBOLS, GRAFFITI and other designs

GSS Category: Scratch Dial (Normandy France); Mass Dial (Normandy France); Medieval Sundial (Normandy France); Church Graffiti; Apotropaic Symbols; Protection Marks

All photos: Keith Salvesen

ROMSEY ABBEY . HANTS – Scratch Dial

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ROMSEY ABBEY . HANTS

In a format variation, I will side-step the usual scene-setting para. In comparison with its host building, the somewhat elusive scratch-dial is an infinitesimal part. It is quite rare, I think, to find a scratch dial on a cathedral, abbey, or other major church building. Romsey has one that would be easily overlooked without clues. Next time I’m in Romsey I’ll take a proper camera on a sunny day.

DIAL

The dial is at the E end of the Abbey, inverted on the N face of the S buttress about 4 meters high.

The BSS record describes it as Accurately cut or made. Repositioned, eroded, damaged. Rudimentary (Norman) dial. Probably inverted (faint line and pock URQ. Too high for measurement.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Norman Mass Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

DIPTYCH DIAL

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A diptych dial is a type of sundial with two hinged leaves which open like a book to use shadows cast by the sun to tell the time.

When opened, a cord holding the top leaf of the dial in its upright position acts as the gnomon. The dial is put on a horizontal surface and orientated so that the gnomon is pointing towards true north. This is done with the help of a compass embedded in the horizontal leaf within the main dial. As the Sun moves round, the shadow moves across the dial marking the passage of the day. Times in places of significance can also be calculated from the dial’s readings. MHS.OU

These beautiful pieces were intricate and costly, often made using ivory. The dial shown here is my own. I’d love to be able to say that it is a rather rustic version of a valuable diptych dial, but it is in fact a cheap knock-off from eBay that I bought to test the workings… or is it the real deal?

There are many museums with watch and clock collections – for example (in the south) Oxford (Museum of the History of Science), London (V&A, Science Museum), and Greenwich (Maritime Museum).

3 PRECIOUS IVORY DIPTYCH DIALS

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford University – DIPTYCH DIALS

 

CHEAP & CHEERFUL BUT QUITE FUN

GSS Category: Diptych Dial; Diptych Sundial; Unusual Sundial

All photos Keith Salvesen; Museum of the History of Science, Oxford University

MIDDLE WOODFORD . WILTS . ALL SAINTS – Scratch Dials; Vertical Dial

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All Saints . Middle Woodford . Wilts

ALL SAINTS . MIDDLE WOODFORD . WILTS

GRADE II ✣ C12, C15; T.H.Wyatt restoration 1845. A fine church by the R. Avon, with plenty of interest. Focus here is on the splendid C12 inner doorway of the porch with nook shafts and scalloped capitals, and an outer order of arch lozenges, inner of horizontal chevrons BHO. See below for Church History. 5m N of Salisbury. 51.1244 /  -1.8301 /  SU119361

SCRATCH DIALS

DIAL 1

Dial 1 is by the capital LHS of the door, and quite easy to overlook. Weathered and damaged, with 3 lines visible within what remains of a double circle. Filled gnomon hole.

DIAL 2

Dial 2 is RHS on the arch of the doorway, and much easier to read. A morning dial with 4 clear lines from 9 (terce) to noon, and another fainter line earlier. The random line LRQ was evidently added some time later. Filled gnomon hole and remnants of a narrow double circle, as with dial 1. Perhaps this dial was cut as a replacement for dial 1 which certainly seems earlier; they could hardly be contemporary.

DIALS 1 AND 2

CHURCH HISTORY

VERTICAL DIAL (CHANCEL BUTTRESS)

The dial is on a south buttress. Motto across the top in angular lettering reads: ‘Tempus Fugit’. Upright Arabic numerals – 10, 11, 12, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 still just visible. Divided to 5 mins? Three-dot half hours (remnants of fleur-de-lys? Square frame with wide border, inset into stone of second buttress RHS of south porch. Needs restoring soon if it is to be saved. Would have been quite a good dial originally BSS

The most recent report was in 2005. Given the details mentioned above, the prediction of further deterioration has sadly come to pass.

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Scratch Dial within porch; Vertical Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

OSLO . NORWAY . RÅDHUS . ASTRONOMICAL CLOCK

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Not strictly within the scope of this site, but these photos – taken about 5 years ago – of the splendid astronomical clock on the City Hall in Oslo were rescued from a large folder of ‘delete me’ images. Worth saving and displaying, I decided.

The clock is situated on the north side of the west tower of the building. It shows the time and month; the positions of the sun and moon; and the signs of the Zodiac.

The Rådhus was built during the 1930s, but the outbreak of war delayed iinauguration until 1950. It is home to the presentation of the Nobel Peace Prize. It also houses a 49-bell carillon that chimes every hour.

GSS Category: Astronomical Clock

Photos: Keith Salvesen / Mandal