In reply to Frank Evan's original question, there is of course the famous 'Pack-o-Cards' pub at Coome Martin, north Devon, on which there is an octagonal sundial. This pub is supposed to have aspects linked to a deck of playing cards; thus it has 13 rooms, 4 bars, 52 windows etc etc (these may not be the correct links, I can't remember now, but in any case, the story is probably largely apocryphal). But the pub is certainly an old building of ususual shape and well worth a visit anyway.
I also believe there is some kind of dial on a pub just outside Basildon, Essex. I saw it once from a bus when I lived in that direction, but as I moved years ago, I am now unlikley to get back there. Maybe someone else can check it out. It was in a parade of shops on the north side of the road (when going east) as I recollect. I also know of two (both either wrong themselves - and maybe not serious dials - and/or both incorrectly placed)on a large coaching inn in north London, but have yet to get back there and check it out. Also in London there is one on the Red Lion pub in Soho which I saw one morning by accident (and no, I was walking to work during a tube strike, not frequenting the Soho sex area!); I reported this one to Patrick Powers soon afterwards. Peter tandy At 06:52 PM 8/9/03 +0100, you wrote: >Greetings fellow dialists, >A recent letter in the BSS Bulletin (v.15, p.61) suggests that dials on >pubs may be rare. I fancy this may not be entirely true and I can think >of at least half a dozen pub dials in my area. > >But I believe pub dials are exposed to a particular risk, the risk of >being painted out. The dial made by William Emerson, the eminent >eighteenth century mathematician, in the village of Hurworth in County >Durham has a number of strange and meaningless lines on it in addition >to the conventional hour lines. It is said that fairly recently the >brewery company engaged painters to paint the front of the pub and in >the course of this they painted out the dial. There was a considerable >local fuss as Emerson is rather revered in Hurworth and it is said that >the painters had to return and restore the dial. This could explain the >redundant extra lines, put in by ignorant people. > >I know of a second dial which has been painted out and continues in that >condition at this moment. It is in Sedgefield, County Durham (Tony >Blair's constituency, no less) and is on the front of the "Black Lion". >I have a picture of it before it was offered this insult. It is now the >same colour as the rest of the pub wall, with the exception of the >gnomon which is picked out with gold paint! > >Can anyone supply further examples? I feel that through careless brewers >and foolish painters it is pub dials in particular that are in danger of >being lost through being painted out. >Frank 55N 1W >-- >Frank Evans >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >- > > -
