Greetings, fellow dialists, Reference the sundial on the Old Grammar School, Hawkshead, Cumbria, England. The school is a museum, famous as the place of William Wordsworth's education. Over the door is a fine dial dated 1845 with stated co-ordinates, latitude "54 deg. 22 min. 10 sec." and longitude "PL 35 deg. 43 min. 40 sec."
The latitude appears to refer to the correct location but the longitude is a puzzle which the museum curator was unable to explain. Longitude eastward of Greenwich lands in an unremarked location in the middle of Russia but westward takes us close to Recife, formerly Pernambuco, Brazil. No significant place on the coast there (lighthouse, etc) fits but I am wondering if there is or was an observatory in or near the middle of the town. And what can the letters PL mean? Any suggestions for this strange longitude citing? Frank, 55N 1W -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.463 / Virus Database: 269.5.7/771 - Release Date: 21/04/2007 11:56 --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
