Photo: Dennis Cowan
Ladies of Morningside listened with lively interest to the stories of Scottish sundials in Alastair Hunter’s talk at their regular meeting on 13 January. The tale of the noble Lady of Lethington being transported 70 miles carrying a weighty sundial on her head (picture) from her birthplace on the River Clyde at Renfrew, to her new home at Lennoxlove, East Lothian, wearing a serene smile, speaks of someone with no ordinary upbringing!
Alastair explained how years ago the basic function of sundials telling the time grew into one of creating beautiful ornaments to display wonders of science and marvellous sculpture. There were and still are numbers of sundial makers, no less in Scotland where the sundial tradition is outstandingly original.
Anna Cunningham is Secretary of the Ladies Group. They meet fortnightly at Morningside Parish Church in Edinburgh. You can see the slides for the talk on sundials here—Scottish Sundials by Alastair Hunter.