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Newsletter No 34 - December 2004 |
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From the Secretary |
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Webmaster. We must record our thanks to Peter Scott who, behind the scenes, has been looking after our web site for 5 years. Peter was an early member of the Society but had to let it lapse due to other interests. He rejoined and willingly took on the role. We regret that he felt it was time to pass on the task, with the related regret that Peter was not able to attend the conferences. Fortunately, Chris Lusby Taylor has taken on the role of webmaster and we look forward to continuing reliable support. Next year’s conference and AGM, 1-3 April, 2005. For this issue of the Bulletin I have decided (with some encouragement) to split the paperwork. The booking form is the usual yellow sheet, but confined to the financial and other details. The descriptive part follows, giving the advantage that this part is retained! Royal Holloway College, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX The conference for 2005 will be reverting to our more usual event, and we hope that many of those who came for the first time to Oxford will join us in this truly magnificent college (The college's Web site). The Andrew Somerville lecture is to be given by Professor Dr Karl Hofbauer of Switzerland on the subject of "Time measurement in cultural history." With 600 BC as a starting point, Professor Hofbauer will demonstrate that the traditions of ancient astronomy were more widespread than previously believed. Coach Tours. On the Saturday afternoon there is a choice of tours. One is to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, now a World Heritage Site, and the other is to Hampton Court Palace and Gardens. Both have some fine sundials - coincidentally both have replicas of dials by Thomas Tompion. In addition, Kew has a fine armillary sphere by Russell and Migdal, 1986. Hampton Court also has a dial by Heath and Wing, 1765, conveniently near the Tiltyard tea rooms. Hampton Court has the famous astronomical clock made for Henry VIII by Nicholas Oursian in 1540. We have been provisionally offered conducted tours to the see this clock, in parties of 3, with stairs to climb. Please indicate on the booking form if you wish to be included in one of these tours. Given the importance of both of these sites a little more time has been allocated in the programme for the tours. College accommodation. There is ample en-suite accommodation in one of the more usual halls of residence, whilst standard single and twin rooms are available in the splendour of the main Founder’s Building. There is virtually unlimited parking. Travel. The college is only 2 miles from junction 13 of the M25, 1 mile from Egham railway station (on the Reading Waterloo line), and 8 miles from Heathrow Airport. Exhibits. A room is available, as usual, for exhibits and displays. Please try to bring something along. Booking form. Please return the yellow booking form with your full payment by 15 February, 2005. you may print a copy from here. |
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Register Ramblings: cumulative ramblings are here |
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MASS DIALS and MUSEUMS |
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The database/register is now up and running, data and pictures are being entered slowly and carefully. What is currently unusual is that most reports come from people outside the Society, only John Lester and Ian Butson send in regular supplies. Mike Cowham sent a lot of Cambridgeshire recently however, and Patrick Powers keeps finding them, either in person or from 'surfing the net'. Three recent 'archives' have come my way recently. First, the important Ethelbert Horne archive at Taunton Library. I visited there and acquired the complete Somerset listing of photographs copied from his original prints. Secondly, the late Ted Hesketh amassed a considerable collection from Berkshire and Mrs Hesketh has kindly donated it to the Society. Together with Frank Poller's archive records we have Berkshire (occupied and unoccupied) well covered. Frank is happily still with us and, although no longer Member No. 700, is still proving to be a source of information and acts as 'our man in Berks.'. Finally, from Charing in Kent, Chris Williams has acquired a similar archive on the death of the compiler and contacted me as he wished to 'put it into shape' for publication in Kent's Archaeological Journal. He is going to let me have copies of the original manuscripts when he has finished. Kent currently has no special listing but Dick Chambers has done an extensive survey and we compared his findings with existing records - with the usual questions and queries arising as seems inevitable with mass dials. Mention of Charing brings to mind the 'Restoration' programme on BBC from the Archbishop's Palace there, and I was encouraged to visit and see if they really had found some mass dials as claimed. Sadly, I think not; Chris Williams concurs and points out that it was an interior wall in medieval times. I did take some photos for the record and, as a by-product, also recorded Charing Church's excellent vertical dial which seems not to be in Register 2000. The visit to Kent also enabled me to visit the NADFAS ladies (and one gentleman) in action recording Patrixbourne with its 8, 9 or 11 dials according to who you read. NADFAS are an excellent source of information as I have reported before, and provided cups of tea, sunshine and 'did I know of the dial at - '. John Lester's records said "No photograph of dial 10, two of dial 9 by mistake". He will be delighted to know I missed dial 6 due to a film change halfway through my photography! The difference between his pictures (no sunshine) and mine (bright morning sunshine) is remarkable and not always to my advantage - lots to learn there A quiet quarter really. MUSEUMS SURVEY A really quiet quarter. My Museums Handbook was returned to my local Museum and they have since loaned it out to someone else! Mass dial work has taken priority but the Survey will continue when my feet touch the ground. Scotland has proved an interesting source of material, in particular 'classic' slate dials, those of Bonar and Melville. Jon Davis and Mike Harley should be able to use the discoveries made for their historical research. A Museum Near You - is a bit thin this time but from the Stately Homes and Gardens side of things:-
Very similar in many ways, very 'stately homes' but each with a classic older dial and the usual extensive landscape to look at. Keep clicking your shutters. |
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BSS REFERENCE LIBRARY AT NOTTINGHAM |
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Where to go in Winter ? Where better than the BSS Library! Browse over 400 books and documents on a spectrum of dialling related subjects at the Bromley House Library (BHL). The books are catalogued by author and in 18 sub-categories such as modern sundial theory, historic and classic works, scientific instruments, dial construction, exhibition and auction catalogues, scratch dials, restoration, stone circles, astronomy, horology, dial registers and, of course, miscellaneous. Some History Bromley House (grade 2, listed) is an interesting and appropriate location for our Library. It was built in 1752 as a fine Town House. In 1822 it was taken over by Nottingham Subscription Library (renamed BHL in 2001). The main library is housed in a series of reading rooms with plaster ceilings, cornices and over mantels, the largest room has a gallery, accessed by a spiral staircase. There are fine clocks, barometers, a working meridian line and a recently restored wind direction indicator. To the rear there is a large walled garden, open to members. The first Photographic Studio in Nottingham, operated from 1841 to 1955, was located in the attics. Opening Times etc The Library hours are Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm and first and third Saturday of each month in winter 10:00 am to 12:30 pm (Phone 0115 9473134.) To gain access to Bromley House, BSS members must first find the doorway (not very obvious) next to Bernardo’s Charity Shop. On admission members must show their BSS membership card or other proof of current membership of the BSS or RAS. A catalogue of the books is available at the library desk. Some valuable and historic dialling books are kept separately under the supervision of the Librarian, these are available on request. Facilities. BSS has Corporate Membership of Bromley House Library and this allows any current BSS member access to the Library and all the facilities, (tea, coffee and toilets). Members may browse any of the 35,000 Bromley House books and periodicals but these may not be borrowed. Equally, use of the BSS library is not exclusive to BSS members, any BHL member may also refer to them, but nobody may borrow them. Donations. Now that we have a Library, members may consider donating books or other material in the fullness of time. This is to be greatly encouraged ! However our shelf space is limited and because it affects our ongoing annual costs, careful control is required. Consequently, duplicates of existing books, second printings and books with little dialling content have to be excluded either to be returned to the donor or to be offered for auction or sale within the Society. In order to ensure good control and accurate cataloguing, please contact me, please do not take books directly to the Library at Nottingham. Where is it ? Bromley House, Angel Row, Nottingham. This is in the centre of Nottingham, close to the Old Market Square. A useful landmark is the nearby Central Library. The nearest car park is on Upper Parliament Street. Angel Row is in the apex formed by the convergence of Maid Marion Way and Upper Parliament Street. Nottingham Railway Station and Broad Marsh Bus Station are due south of Angel Row, about 12 minutes walk. |
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SUNDIAL AWARDS SCHEME |
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The deadline for entries to arrive (at the address below) is now very near. If any entrant is having difficulty in meeting the deadline please contact Nick Nicholls at the same address. We may be able to help. Nick Nicholls 45 Hound Street, Sherborne, Dorset, DT9 3AB |
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VOLUNTEER(S) NEEDED FOR POSITION OF ARCHIVIST |
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Members will know of the sad death of Anne Somerville earlier this summer. Anne took on the role of Archivist for the Fixed Dial Register after her husband Andrew's death some years ago and, in the period since then, she made the job her own and managed in a quite exemplary fashion, the filing of sighting records, photographic prints and transparencies after they had been logged onto the Society's database. The Society now seeks to appoint a new Archivist and would like to hear from Members who would be able to keep the Society's files in their home and to maintain and add to them as new sightings and images are forwarded by Patrick Powers, the Registrar. The records so far constitute one four drawer filing cabinet of record forms and several boxes of photographs and slides and so some office space is certainly required for this role. Although there have been peaks of activity - such as following the Millennium year - the average input of sundial sightings only runs to about 300-400 a year so the work is not particularly onerous. Now that the computer database is itself more comprehensive, the requirement for consulting the archive and checking on details of individual dials is also generally at a low level with perhaps a maximum of 10 queries a year. Such enquiries are always directed via the Registrar and can almost invariably be handled by post. Thus there is little or nothing that is of an urgent nature and the process may therefore be carried out to a time scale that fits in best with the Archivist's own available time. Members who might be interested in this important role for the Fixed Dial Register or indeed anyone who might be interested to do a similar role for the newly restarted Mass Dial Register based on a new database operated by Tony Wood, should contact the secretary, Doug Bateman as soon as possible. |
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STOLEN DIAL |
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A
horizontal, Cary dial was stolen from Barrington Court, Illminster
about 4 years ago. The National Trust at Barrington now wish to
replace the dial with a replica of the original - as far as
possible. They have no photographs and, although the dial is in
our register, we have only one set of slides, courtesy of Doug
Bateman. If anyone has a photograph will they please contact
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Material
for the next Newsletter, preferably by e-mail, should be with me
by 15th February 2005 |
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