Greetings, fellow dialists.
Here's news of a big and handsome new dial. I've submitted the text
below for publication in the Bulletin of the British Sundial Society
together with a couple of photos which, regretfully, I have not the
means of reproducing here. They were of the gnomon in course of
erection and of Tony Moss and David Bellamy at the opening ceremony.
The Gnomon of the North: A New Dial for Whitley Bay.
A large horizontal sundial has recently been erected on an artificial
eminence near Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England. The eminence is the
highest point in the Metropolitan Borough of North Tyneside, rising
ninety four metres above sea level and it was decided by the Borough
Council to go for the hundred, calling for a gnomon a further six metres
high. The design was undertaken by BSS member Tony Moss of Bedlington,
Northumberland and consisted of a large iron casting for the gnomon, on
which were transposed strings of small reliefs representing living
objects, created by the children of a local first school. This gnomon
stands on a nominally flat, tiled surface with the hour lines marked by
old railway track. The surface forming the dial plate was in the event
slightly coned to allow for rain runoff, which presented computational
problems for the dialist, but these were skilfully overcome by Tony
Moss, using physical means in the form of a specially made metal
protractor bearing a laser gun which could be attached to the style edge
to effect the layout of the hour lines.
The funding for the dial was gained competitively by North
Tyneside Metropolitan Council through City Challenge, a foundation that
derives its income from Government and EU sources. The dial is the
centrepiece of a new Country Park aimed at providing an area of high
biodiversity in a rather bare flatland. Dubbed "The Gnomon of the
North" in contradistinction to the Gateshead "Angel of the North", it
was declared open, if that can be the right description, upon the
removal of an encompassing band of sacking by the eminent
conservationist, David Bellamy, on 3 November 1998, a day of rain, wind
and flying scud. It was pleasing to observe that the small craftspeople
from the local first school who had provided the patterning had been
invited to the ceremony and indeed to the modest buffet that followed.
The dial is a striking construction, its location and sheer size
commanding attention.
Frank Evans
