Backblip


“Life’s but a walking shadow”     from Macbeth.
So states this sundial on a wall in Cathedral Close in Salisbury, unfortunately partially hidden by a tree.  It was made in 1749 and I’m unsure what the curved lines mean but guess they probably indicate something about the length of days.

(Extra)  Below it on the wall is a plaque stating that the calendar was changed 3 years later because the Julian Calendar was out of sync by 13 days so the day after September 2 was changed to September 14.   Had S been born in 1752 his birthday would have been on the 14th instead of the 3rd.
In the year of our Lord 1752, the Reformation of the Calendar took place - see the Wall Dial above dated 1749. This Julian calendar made the year too short, thus the accumulated error amounted to eleven days. England adopted the Gregorian calendar, so the next day after Sept 2nd 1752 became Sept 14th 1752.

“Time speeds up till it is nothing so use it up before it is gone.”
The Millenium sundial donated by the U3A in 2000 in Salisbury appears to be carved into a piece of slate or grey painted board with the sunburst, gnomon, lines and cross coloured gold, with the numbers being white. The sunburst supports the gnomon with the hours 7(am) to 6 (pm) indicated with a cross marking the noon position.


Sundial 43 and 44  in my sundial list.