Early computer model for the sundial (left), and the completed design erected on the wall of the school building
For anyone who has ever enjoyed doing geometry at school, getting the angles right on a sundial may not sound so difficult. The sundial has to see the sun and the shadows have to tell the time. When sundial sculptor Tim Chalk was sketching out ideas for his latest work to erect a sundial at Dollar Academy, a leading Scottish school, he thought about the angles Continue reading
Orbdial is a universal type of sundial that can be set for different latitudes.
In a land renowned for its clocks and watches a Swiss couple have chosen our Orbdial sundial to mark the hours in their historic garden set on a hill above Montreux, overlooking Lac Leman, which they are restoring to former glories. The sundial has a handsome polished pedestal in pink and yellow veined marble from Verona. The couple wanted to see the colours of sunrise and sunset in the sky picked up by the sundial and the stone. In Victorian times this house welcomed figures from music and the arts, including Gertrude Jekyll the influential garden designer. Continue reading
The Dihelion sundial casts an exact shadow at equinox and solstice
Three weeks now till Christmas when time stands still for excited children opening their presents. Strangely, also on the twenty-fifth of December, clocks and sundials read the same time as each other, because the equation of time is zero. Winter solstice when the sun stands still is a few days earlier. This year it is on the twenty-second of December.
It seems a while since the sunshine was warm Continue reading
Photo: Dennis Cowan
This remarkable object is a Scottish sundial. Its intricate geometry and beautiful craftsmanship are like many of the stone sundials found in Scotland. They were one of the features of grand houses in the 17th century. But this one seems as if it is holding secrets, it is not quite like the others, it is a curious object and perhaps it holds its own story? Continue reading
After a time the sun did shine when we were setting up our new Dihelion sundial sculpture at the Savill Garden, Surrey. The sun was out just long enough to align the sundial before we left. Dihelion is now fully installed and ready to view as part of the Savill Garden’s annual sculpture exhibition ‘Sculpture in the Garden’ Continue reading
In a break with previous sundials an original new design has been created that has two shadows, one showing the time of day and another the season of the year. This adds more pleasure to having a sundial in a garden. The design has been named DIHELION meaning ‘dual sun’ after the ancient Greek words. The sundial will be launched to the public on 1 September at ‘Sculpture in the Garden’, the annual sculpture exhibition at The Savill Garden, Windsor, Berkshire.
It is thought the concept of DIHELION having two shadows Continue reading
The Capuchin sundial is a very early design, probably from the 1500s. The dial is held by hand and it can find the time from the sun’s altitude.
Sundial expert and student of time Kevin Karney gave another of his fascinating talks on telling time through the ages to the audience of NADFAS members at their monthly meeting held in the Victoria Halls, Helensburgh, on Tuesday this week. NADFAS, the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies, is a leading arts charity and this was the second group in the Scotland and Northern Ireland area to have invited Kevin to speak recently Continue reading
Kilgraston independent school for girls has added a Solar Time precision sundial to the teaching facilities at their new science centre, which opened in 2014 on Kilgraston’s beautiful campus in Perthshire, Scotland. This unique sundial Continue reading
A HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone and especially to France where our first sundial for 2015 has just arrived. It is a special edition of our Orbdial and its place and time are marked with detailed engravings and personal inscriptions. Continue reading
While North played South in international rugby at Murrayfield stadium, Edinburgh—where Scotland met and won against Argentina on Saturday—we were only a drop-kick’s distance away proudly installing a new south-facing Solar Time sundial in a Murrayfield private garden. This was a special installation for a special person—a 50th birthday present from wife to husband Continue reading