History of Sundials

Sundials are an ancient method of telling the time. The oldest sundial was probably ancient man noticing his shadow lengthened and shortened during the day. Indeed, any structure that marks the passage of the sun through the day can be considered a sundial.

Ancient structures such as Stonehenge in Wiltshire and New Grange in Ireland are not true sundials in the modern sense. They use the sun to mark the season rather than the hour.

The oldest known true sundial was built around 1500BC in Egypt. Shaped like a letter L the length of the shadow cast by the vertical leg along the horizontal leg indicated the time. The Romans perfected the horizontal sundial we know today and invented portable travelling versions.

Now not only did the Romans perfect sundials, they were also the first to use them in gardens. Roman gardens were private spaces, set behind houses and enclosed on all sides by rooms and colonnades.

In the midst of this ordered scene was the sundial. Set on a stone pedestal to catch the shadow of the Sun God Sol as he drove his chariot across the sky.

Our ancestors only had to look up to tell the time as sundials were mounted on the outside walls of many churches and public buildings. Indeed, despite the introduction of clocks in the 18th Century the French railways were regulated by sundials until the start of the 20th Century.

Carrying on the age-old tradition of placing a sundial in a sunny spot. In gardens, sundials have never been out of fashion. Set on a stone plinth a sundial creates a centre for the garden and allows you to watch the hours you spend weeding!

To learn more about the history of armillary spheres and where the name armillary comes from click here.