Armillary Sphere Sundial – GAUDIUM SUB SOLE . SUNDIALS . MEDIEVAL TO MODERN

TINTINHULL HOUSE (COURT) . SOMERSET

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

LINK POSTS

TINTINHULL . ST MARGARET . MULTIPLE SCRATCH DIALS

TINTINHULL . ST MARGARET . TRIPLE POLAR SCAPHE DIAL

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GSS CATEGORY: Armillary Sphere; Equatorial Dial

All photos: Keith Salvesen

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.