GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN

OXFORD . HISTORY of SCIENCE MUSEUM – GRAFFITI, SYMBOLS & SCRATCHINGS

Published on February 26, 2025 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

OXFORD . HISTORY of SCIENCE MUSEUM – GRAFFITI, SYMBOLS, & SCRATCHINGS

The History of Science Museum in Broad Street, Oxford, has a wonderful collection of scientific instruments dating from the Middle Ages to C19. There is a rich hoard to be investigated. As you enter, you will see an outstanding display of the many instruments that over the ages have been used to measure the passage of time. A superb pair of armillary spheres is / are featured HERE. Only the Museo Galileo in Florence has given me such pleasure.

GRAFFITI, SYMBOLS, & SCRATCHINGS

On each side jamb of the entrance to the Museum, there is a fine collection of graffiti of several kinds. Below is a selection of the marks from either side, left first. These include names and dates, with a Bull (1753) on one side, and a later Bull (1891) on the other; and a couple of probable mason’s marks, together with random scratchings accumulated over time.

MARIAN MARKS and PROTECTION (APOTROPAIC) SYMBOLS

By C17 the concept of thwarting evil by means of incised marks on churches and other buildings (eg the TITHE BARN Bradford-on-Avon) was weakening, yet superstition and the fear of evil lingered on. This building – the original Ashmolean – dates to the late C17. By this time, many medieval incised devices – eg scratch dials – had become things of the past. However, to some extent the comfort of cutting marks to ward off evil persisted. This would explain the various Marian marks VV (Virgo Virginum) on the jambs.

There is also a good collection of compass-drawn circles of varying completeness, accuracy, and depth. In medieval times these were the simplest form of demon trap, luring evil inside a circle from which it could not escape. The principle continued in later centuries.

LEFT SIDE

RIGHT SIDE

GSS Category: Apotropaic marks; Marian marks; Protection marks; Demon Traps; Compass-drawn circles; Graffiti on public buildings;

Reference: History of Science Museum – Oxford; Matthew Champion – Medieval Graffiti

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour

TOTNES . DEVON . ST MARY – Vertical Dial

Published on February 21, 2025 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

TOTNES . DEVON . ST MARY

GRADE 1 ✣ A fine Perpendicular church on the site of Benedictine Priory, standing proudly near the centre of the town and visible from some distance away. Mainly built mid-C15 using much red sandstone. The Grade denotes the importance of the building, and the interior offers much for the visitor. Also, see the splendid Norman motte and bailey castle nearby. 50.4319 / -3.6878 / SX802604

VERTICAL DIAL

On the south wall of the church near the porch is a slate dial set in a stone frame. It declines west and shows the hours VII – VI divided into halves and quarters. Across the top is an inscription which reads In memoriam TWW 1903. Below it are the coordinates Lat 5020 ; Long 0340 W. Across the bottom of the dial is the quite common motto Ut Hora Sic Vita (Life is as an Hour).

The gnomon has a pierced nodus which causes a spot of light to appear on the dial plate. In my amateur experience, this is a relatively uncommon addition to a sundial’s capabilities.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Sundial with Nodus; Vertical Sundial Motto; Memorial Vertical Sundial

Photos: header, wigulf . wiki . cc / os; dial location, St Mary’s online; dial close-ups, BSS Bridol

Thanks to Erika Clarkson for giving me the details from a visit to St Mary’s, where she had found a scratch dial. I have written it up separately, being completely different in type and time.

DALI DIAL [anag.] . PARIS . CADRAN SOLAIRE

Published on February 11, 2025February 12, 2025 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

‘Derrick’ . Sticky Mango Rice . A fine artist captures the essence of Paris mingled with a surreal addition – link below

SALVADOR DALI’S SUNDIAL (1966) . PARIS . 27 Rue St Jacques

Unassumingly sited and not easily visible to passers-by unless walking north on the eastern trottoir, is a splendid sundial designed by Salvador Dali (1904-1989). Those who do notice it might well be entertained by the Daliesque appearance, but because of the dial’s position they may not see the artist’s signature and the date 1966**

‘Derrick’: a rather beautiful close-up depiction of the Dial

IRL

DIAL DETAILS

Pierre Guernier of French Moments notes that the Dali dial, cast in concrete, was a gift to friends who had a nearby boutique. The clue to the shell motif lies in the name of the street which forms part of the Pilgrimage route across Paris. The fiery eyebrows represent the sun; and the lower part of the dial obviously references the famous moustache.

DALI SHADOWS

ATLAS OBSCURA

This excellent resource includes unusual and off-beat finds. It describes Dali’s dial, and notes the accompanying excitement when it was inaugurated on 15 November 1966 at a ceremony with pomp and large media coverage. Dali was no shrinking violet.

The surrealist himself rode up on a lift to the sundial with his pet ocelot, for some finishing touches, and to the accompaniment of a brass band.

We can probably conclude that Dali’s forays into horology were relatively successful with his Parisian sundial. But for its poor positioning, it might function well or adequately. Less accurate were his more ambitious blueprints for timepieces, all being woefully deficient in design and immensely challenging in construction.

** It’s fair to say that for the English, the important ’66 dates are confined to the Battle of Hastings; the Great Fire of London; and the World Cup.

CREDITS

Derrick – Sticky Mango Rice (check out his other work)

https://www.instagram.com/derrick_sketches/?hl=en

Atlas Obscura

Gaume / Wiki

RUSTIC ALPINE SUNDIAL . FRENCH ALPS

Published on January 24, 2025January 26, 2025 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

A chance find in a tiny hamlet on the French / Italian border: this rather lovely home-crafted sundial. In a simple unshowy way, it is designed with care and lends enchantment to its overall purpose. I enjoyed seeing the passage of (part of) the day being marked by this dial.

The inclusion of notably cheerful signs of the Zodiac adds to the charm.

The pretty gnomon has an ingenious simplicity. Altogether a delightful find.

GSS Category: Vertical Dial; Rustic Dial; Semi-circle dial; Sundial France

All photos: Keith Salvesen

HORIZONTAL DIAL 1597 – Mystery Provenance, Uncertain Date?

Published on January 15, 2025January 20, 2025 by Rolling Harbour2 Comments

I recently met someone at a gathering of mutual friends, and we discussed sundials. He mentioned that he had an old dial in his garden, dated 1597 (the year of the first performance of The Merry Wives of Windsor). This was definitely a lead to take up.

PROVENANCE: The dial was bought in the 1950s in (probably) an antique shop in (possibly) Amersham. It was put on the pillar of an old birdbath, and remains in the same garden.

The dial is small, 4.25″ square. The photograph of the whole dial is just about clear enough to zero in on some of the details. I am hoping that the available clues will lead to ID of Tho. the maker and / or of Morris; and to the conclusion that the date is accurate [I do have in mind the generic chunky ‘genuine c17’ dials on eBay that in fact date from a rather more recent era].

I’d be pleased to have any information, advice, reaction, interpretation, wonderment or perplexity in relation to this dial. My email is sundials@gaudiumsubsole.org; or add a comment.

On the perimeter: Tho W S fecit (?) 1597

Nearer the centre: Morris and a word or name that starts or ends with W and S depending how one looks at it.

GSS Category: Horizontal Dial; Dial Date; C16 Horizontal Sundial

CHÂTEAU de VAUVILLE . COTENTIN . JARDIN BOTANIQUE – Armillary Sphere

Published on December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

CHÂTEAU de VAUVILLE . CONTENTIN . JARDIN BOTANIQUE

The Château dates from mid-C12. Thereafter – like many similar large houses in the region – it suffered many changes in fortune over the centuries. It has been described as ‘one of the finest examples of fortified architecture in the Nord-Cotentin‘. It is still in the ownership of the same family. During WW2 the house was pillaged and severely damaged. Restorations since then have resulted in a very fine building in lovely surroundings.

The splended gardens were created after the war by Eric Pellerin and feature a huge variety of the semi-tropical plants and trees that thrive on the western edge of the Cotentin coast.

ARMILLARY SPHERE

The sphere seems (to me, anyway) fairly complex, and rather than trying to interpret it I think that high resolution images taken from a number of angles is more useful. There is an engraved inscription that girdles the dial and includes personal tributes to Pellerin and others.

All photos: Keith Salvesen / Rolling Harbour or OS online

GSS Category: Armillary Sphere; French Sundial; Normandy Sundial; Botanical Garden Dial

LES CADRANS SOLAIRES DE COARAZE: CERAMIC TILE SUNDIALS IN PROVENCE

Published on December 2, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

Cadrans Solaires Sundials Coaraze (© Keith Salvesen) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Jean Cocteau

LES CADRANS SOLAIRES: THE CERAMIC TILE SUNDIALS OF COARAZE, PROVENCE

The nine sundials shown below are in Coaraze, a small medieval ‘village perché’ (650m) in the Alpes-Maritimes, Provence, north of Nice. They include sundials by artistic polymath Jean Cocteau (poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, artist and filmmaker); Ponce de Leon; and Henri Goetz, among others. They are located in two places in the village (1) on the front and side walls of the Marie (2) at the top of the village on a south-facing walls in the square in front of the church. They need no interpretation by me: everyone who views these wonderful sundials will experience their own personal response to each one.

MONA CRISTIE – LA CHEVAUCHÉE DU TEMPS

Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Mona Cristie

GEORGES DOUKING – LES ANIMAUX FABULEUX

Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Georges Douking

JEAN COCTEAU – LES LÉZARDS

Lizards are the historic symbol of the village

coaraze-sundial-3b.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Jean Cocteau

GILBERT VALENTIN – LES TOURNESOLS

coaraze-sundial-4a.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Gilbert Valentin

FABIENNE BARRE (2008)

On the side wall of the Marie, with a view of the village

coaraze-sundial-5a.jpg (1280×1049) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Fabienne Barre

coaraze-sundial-5c.jpg (1280×963) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Fabienne Barre

ANGEL PONCE DE LÉON – BLUE TIME (1961)

coaraze-sundial-6a.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Angel Ponce de Léon

HENRI GOETZ – LE PYTHON ET SA COURONNE EN VERT ET OR (1961)

coaraze-sundial-7a.jpg (1280×1006) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Henri Goetz

SACHA SOSNO (2007)

coaraze-sundial-8a.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Sacha Sosno

“BEN” – BENJAMIN VAUTIER (2008)

coaraze-sundial-9a.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Benjamin Vautier

coaraze-a.jpg (1280×978) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence

coaraze-sundial-10.jpg (1280×960) — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence

Coaraze Sundial 11 — Cadrans Solaires . Ceramic Sundials . Coaraze . Provence – Benjamin Vautier

MARTIN . HANTS . ALL SAINTS

Published on December 1, 2024December 2, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ALL SAINTS . MARTIN . WILTS

GRADE I † Early C12 origins; C13 chancel, tower; C14 / C15 transepts; other works then & later inc C18 spire, C19 restorations. A striking building in a small village just off the A354 Salisbury – Blandford Forum. Clock installed in honour of Winston Churchill 50.9754 / -1.9009 / SU070195

DIALS

All Saints is a multiple dial church, with 8 listed in the BSS records. My dial count is 9. It’s a fine church, and dial-hunting was an easy pleasure. I have decided to let the dials speak for themselves without undue commentary on individual characteristics unless called for. Below the dials is an excellent article by the Hampshire Field Club that analyses all you need to know about each dial, and in particular the locations (for which I lost my notes).

BSS RECORDS

GALLERY OF 8 + 1 DIALS

DETAILED IMAGES

DIAL 1

DIAL 2

DIAL 3

DIAL 4

DIAL 5

DIAL 6

DIAL 7

DIAL 8

DIAL 9

This dial is included in the BSS records (bottom row LHS)

Volume VII Part I.pdf

Proceedings of the Hampshire Field Club, XV , Pt. 3, p. 27a.

damerham-martin-dials-poole Download

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Multiple Scratch Dial Church

SHERE . SURREY . ST JAMES – Multiple Scratch Dials

Published on November 21, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST JAMES . SHERE . SURREY

GRADE I ❖ C12 Norman tower and north nave wall; C13 south aisle and chapel; C14 enlargement, chancel; restorations 1895 by S. Weatherley. Fine C13 font. Most unusual C14 Anchorite cell, definitely in use. Excellent graffiti, in particular several shields. Approved by PEV. Midway between Guildford and Dorking. 51.2191 / -0.463 / TQ074477

DIALS

As with many multiple scratch dial churches, there are differing estimates of the number of dials, in this case of between 7 and 11. Sources vary, as do the eras when researches were carried out: Victoria County History Surrey (1911); D Renn 1986 (detailed survey); BSS 2000 (images – Lester); 2008 (drawings – Wood). I have decided to lead with 8 dials that are (I think) indisputably the real thing. Each is headed by the relevant BSS diagram and all are close to the pre-porch doorway. The close-up photos say as much about each dial than I could usefully describe.

DIAL 1

DIAL 2

DIAL 3

DIAL 4

Unusually, this dial has 3 circles, and incorporates decorative compass work to form 2 petals.

DIAL 5

DIAL 6

DIAL 7

DIAL 8

A simple deeply-scored dial that cuts into a quatrefoil ‘4-leaf cover’ compass design, presumably apotropaic. The church has a great many protection marks of all kinds, together with several shields. I may feature a selection in due course.

DIALOGRAM

The 8 blue-ringed designs below are all dials. The arrowed 9th, LHS, is debatable – see below The arrows RHS indicate (1) probably one of many crosses; and (2) a mystery, see below.

DIAL 9?

Renn’s count of 10 dials includes this ‘lamda’ incision. When I photographed dial 7, only the top of the scar was included. I am a confirmed dial optimist, but it didn’t occur to me to photograph it separately / include it as a dial..

DIAL 10?

Perplexing. An afternoon dial. Noted in Renn’s survey, on which BSS record is based. Described as Inside church (inside S porch). E face of W jamb. Behind door frame. Lines 4. I didn’t find it. Unlike the impressive array of forward- facing dials in the porch, this one must be small, cut on an angle as Renn indicates, and of little use for marking the passage of the day.

ANNOTATED DRAWING

The green circles mark the uncertainties. There is also a suggestion that there were once 2 other dials, now extant (S chancel wall, E pilaster buttress).

REFERENCES

Victoria County History, Surrey, 3 (1911), 120

Renn DF: Scratch Dials in Surrey, Surrey Archaeological Collections, vol 77, 1986

The British Sundial Society

KEEVIL . WILTS . ST LEONARD – Scratch Dials

Published on November 10, 2024November 10, 2024 by Rolling HarbourLeave a comment

ST LEONARD . KEEVIL . WILTS

LISTING II* ❖ C13, C15 and early C16, good Victorian and later restorations. A link to the well-presented history of the church and its context in the village is given below. One bell is of particular historical interest. A multiple scratch dial church: BSS records 7 from a 1994 survey. I feature 9 candidates below, of which 2 are probably not-a-dials, leaving 7. But are they the same 7, I wonder? 6m E of Trowbridge. 51.3209 / -2.1195 / ST917579

History of St Leonard’s Church

GSS Category: Scratch Dial; Mass Dial; Multiple Scratch Dial Church

All photos: Keith Salvesen [

I am beginning to find my own photos borrowed for online use. I don’t really mind, especially for this sort of niche interest, but a link to this project might be good]