garden sundial

A circular altitude sundial at full-scale for the garden

Altitude sundial in the garden

The altitude sundial in sunshine on 21st July 2026. The dial reads 3:50 pm, which is only 4 minutes difference from clock time, with corrections made for BST, Longitude, and EOT. The reading point is the tip of the shadow, which is the shadow of the gnomon nodus. 

The altitude sundial is an intriguing instrument. It relies on measuring the height of the sun to tell the time. It also requires the user to adjust for the time of year before making a reading. There are many altitude sundials and there is one particular one with a circular dial, from around the year 1600, which we find very interesting. We have now designed and built one like it at full-scale for the garden. Continue reading

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Haddo House cube stone sundial restored and reading solar time

Haddo House stone cube sundial

This sundial cube stone has fine carving detail. Each of five faces can read the time. The horizontal dial carved in the stone on top indicates an ornamental piece for a garden. A cube set on a tall pillar or on a wall will have the side dials only. Photo: Graciela Ainsworth.

This cube stone sundial stands in the garden of Haddo House, the National Trust for Scotland property in Aberdeenshire. When we examined it at the workshop, it had broken and missing gnomons and moss obscured the dials. After restoration the dials can now read solar time properly again.

A cube dial has the mathematical attraction of reading time by the sun on south, east, west, and north faces. As a result, as the sun moves round, the cube sundial is an excellent device for showing time Continue reading

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Sundial stones discovered in a Scottish garden — the stone globe

Globe terminator stone sundial

The globe sundial will show light and dark sides of the stone in sunshine. The terminator line separates the two and the hour numbers show the time.

This stone globe was initially puzzling. It has a band of hour numerals and looks like a type of sundial. It is actually a globe terminator dial. The hour band lies parallel to earth’s equator, and the line between light and dark shadow in sunshine is the terminator. The puzzle was why the globe had a second sundial  stone fixed onto it, since removed in the workshop, as a later post will explain. Continue reading

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A design of azimuth sundial to go in a garden

Azimuth sundial on 10 October at 11.10am

On 10 October the autumn equinox has passed and the cursor reading point has moved out from the inner circle of the dial towards winter solstice at the circumference. The sighting arm carries a short vertical gnomon which casts its shadow in line with the sun.

The azimuth sundial is an intriguing instrument. It finds the time from the direction of the sun. This idea sounds simple, the sun rises in the East, at Noon it is due South, and it sets again in the West, but it is complicated by the time of year. This note is about a new design for a precision azimuth sundial to go in a garden. Continue reading

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An 18th century horizontal garden sundial

A beautiful 18th century horizontal garden sundial

A historic horizontal bronze garden sundial, 1723

A fine 18th century horizontal sundial stands in the gardens of the House of Dun near Montrose. The dial is octagonal made in bronze set in a carved and moulded stone raised on a baluster pedestal and stone step. Elegant tracery scroll work supports the gnomon.

The dial engraving is detailed employing delicacy of variation in deep and light incisions and ornament. The chapter ring carries exact time divisions down to a single minute. Continue reading

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Looking for a place for our armillary sundial

Looking for a place for our armillary sundial

The armillary sundial captures the dynamics of the earth spinning on its axis and orbiting the sun. The equatorial band is pierced with markers for the hours. A meridian band shows the seasons.

Now that we have moved, we have been looking for a place for our armillary sundial. Before, it was nestling gently in its surroundings with plants in the garden growing up through the rings and wrapping themselves around. For the moment it is out in the open where  we can see it better. It has an air of almost floating on its stand with the lightness of the rings and the delicate shadows on the ground. Continue reading

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Restoration of a small brass garden sundial from the 1930s

Brass sundial from the 1930s restored with a new gnomonThis small brass garden sundial had lost its gnomon. It is dearly loved by its owner who has known it since childhood, and she wanted to have it restored. As often happens at different times the family moved home and the sundial moved too. Continue reading

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