Tuesday 25 September 2007

Marking Time

Christ Church Anglican has just finished building a modern addition, and last Sunday a vertical Sundial was installed on the south wall.

The only other vertical Sundial on a church in Canada is on the wall of Christ Church Anglican in Victoria, British Columbia, the other side of the country.

The tradition of a Sundial on the wall of a church dates back hundreds of years. People would know when it was time to attend mass, and could keep track of time.

Perhaps there were a lot of people late to church on cloudy days.

We were there at just after 2:30pm... the sundial reads just after 1:30, then add an hour for Daylight Savings.

Installing a sundial and reading the time accurately is obviously a very complicated process. Instructions for use are posted on the wall.

18 comments:

  1. Looks a bit complicated, you could be late by the time you have worked out what time it is!!!

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  2. How interesting! Never seen or heard of one before. I've only heard of the garden flat sun dial.

    I guess this is great for those who are not always punctual.

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  3. What a great Sun dial, what I like are the instructions.. hundreds of years ago educations was but a dream to most, and the dial would have been used by uneducated young and old with no problems at all. We now live in a so called educated world and we would need to study to be able to read the dial now. ha!

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  4. Oh my! Ginnie's gonna love THIS post!

    As for "Perhaps there were a lot of people late to church on cloudy days.", my guess is that it's the reason why they also have the church bells... You know... Just in case ;)

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  5. Yes, I am with you and hope your's never have to go to war. My kids didn't but my nephew did and died in Vietnam -- stepped on a mine. I had seen him just before he went back to serve a second round. He and his dog were killed. My granddaughter went to war in Iraq and was there when they left Kuwait and entered Iraq and she had her 21st birthday in Iraq. She got through without being wounded but it messed up her emotions and she is on disability and will be forever I guess. Totally changed her. I hope to god the president gets us out of Iraq but now that it is about oil I have my doubts.

    Thanks for visiting.

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  6. Lovely sundial - never really seen one on a church wall before.

    Read you sweet tribute to Wendy and it made me cry...I lost my golden almost a year ago. But we both gave each other the best of ourselves, so there are no regrets...

    A month in Ormand Beach? Lucky girl! No hurricane threat in October, your timing is perfect! And who knows, maybe we'll meet at Daytona?

    Not that you asked, but I vote for the hat at wedding ;-)

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  7. Complicated but fascinating. Great shotsto tell the story.

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  8. Lovely sundial....but a little large for my wrist....it looks confusing to read. I like old wom tigley's comment

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  9. I made one post on a sun dial in Paris (the obelisk Place de Concorde), but I know that there are a few around, including the wall version. Thanks! You just gave me a new idea for a post!

    This one seems to be very exact - which is not always the case!

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  10. Oh, I love that. I've never seen one on a wall either. I love the Latin and the verse at the bottom, "The heavens declare the glory of God."

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  11. I do think it's funny about all the directions on how to read a sundial!

    And I updated my post for you, just so you know the song lyrics weren't by me! (Go read them, they're pretty funny).

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  12. I don't know, all this modern technology you have over there!!!

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  13. Beautiful! I really like that crisp design with the ancient dial.

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  14. I didn't even know they made these nowadays, Ex-S! Wow! What a bright sundial. You know I collect these. Yes, CS is so right! :)

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  15. Wow, I guess this means one thing!
    I will march right down to the sister clock and take a picture of it!

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  16. Did you know, i just found a site - the national registry of sundials in Canada!!!

    here http://www.sundials.org/registry/candials.htm

    Amazing...

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  17. Sundials are very interesting i think, this is a very nice one

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