Scientific sundials, designed to work with our modern concept of hours of a fixed length, appeared in this country from the 16th century onwards.
This dial carved in situ, is on part of the window surround and an adjacent stone at 16 High Street. It is quite sophisticated, with Arabic numerals, lines for the half and quarter hours, plus compensation for the thickness of the gnomon. However, it has a non-vertical noon line and confusing double lines at both 12 and 1 o’clock.
The afternoon hours, 1 to 4pm, are correct to better than 1° for this wall (it faces 6° west of south) at Eydon’s latitude. The morning hours are not fully carved because of the shadow of the low thatch on the roof of 14 High Street before the fire of 1905, and strangely are more than 4° out. They are however spectacularly accurate – to better than 0.25° - for the time albeit half an hour before the indicated time. So the prominent number 9 with a curlicue tail actually shows the time for 8.30am. Photographer Dr Kevin Lodge.
Connected photos AP055, AP056, AP057, AP058, AP060, AP061, AP062