local-history – GAUDIUM SUB SOLE: Scratch Dials & Sundials Medieval to Modern

Oxenhillshaw – Own work . Permissions ‘Public Domain’

BOXGROVE . W SUSSEX . St Mary and St Blaise

GRADE 1 ✢ C12. Much remains of the original cruciform church, noted as ‘one of the finest medieval churches in Sussex’. Simon Jenkins: “It is a magical church full of echoes of French influence along the Sussex coast. Its crossing is a mystery of light and dark and the great chancel is alive with Tudor roses and heraldry. The De La Warr chantry contains beautiful early French motifs from a Book of Hours. These must be some of the best renaissance carvings in any English church.“ 3m NE of Chichester; 50.8599 / -0.7109 / SU908075

‘ADJACENT’ BUTTRESS DIALS

DIAL 1

The very damaged lower part of a dial that, when recorded in 1919, appears to have had a complete double ring around the perimeter (Sussex Archaeological Collections Vol. LX). In which case, the two stones above the half-dial as it is today must have been replaced – perhaps with other work in that area – between then and now.

DIAL 2

The simplest of dials. I have not come across many dials where the circumference fit exactly within the dial-stone. Here, the shadow of a wooden or iron rod at the centre of such a large dial would have served the community well by being easily visible. It could of course have been a sexton’s compass-accuracy project.

PLAUSIBLE DIAL?

I had seen no mention of a dial in this position, but I saw it on my way to the buttress dials and took a closer look. It is certainly – close to the doorway – in a very good location for a dial. The hole is almost centered on its rough stone, and there must have been a reason for this. More research needed, I think…