Sundial which was erected in 1894 on a pillar by the West Tower of Wimborne Church after being removed from the south transept
Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town. The central town has a population of 6,418 (according to the 2001 Census) and is situated at the confluence of the River Stour and River Allen, five miles north of Poole. This is a Saxon Church, with Norman and Gothic architecture. It is famed for its unique chained library and the tombs of King Ethelred, the brother of Alfred the Great, as well as the tombs of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, and his duchess, the maternal grandparents of King Henry VII of England. The central tower and nave were founded in Saxon times, but the surviving building is predominantly Norman in design and construction, with Gothic components from various periods. One of its more famous architectural features include a working astronomical clock, which rings every hour and is represented in the form of a colourful quarterjack. The minster is built in a combination of Dorset limestone and New Forest stone. The sundial has three faces but, as the main dial faces south and is vertical, the sun can only cast a shadow on it for 12 hours. The two side dials thereby extend the range of the sundial to cover all possible daylight hours, the east-facing one giving the earlier hours and the west-facing one the later hours. Originally the sundial was on top of the gable wall of the south transept where it functioned like a public clock. The Minster never had a clock outside, only the Quarter Jack, so the sundial would be useful to the people of Wimborne both to tell the time and to check clocks and watches. The sundial was moved from the gable end in 1891, when the transept was restored, and was erected in 1894 on a pillar by the West Tower, where it still stands. There is a plaque on the pillar recording the move.
Size: 3639px × 5459px
Location: Wimborne Minster Dorset England
Photo credit: © John Hopkins / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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