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Down Sundial
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Located in the Lily Wood garden of Mount Stewart House, a National Trust property, 8 km south of Newtownards on the A20, is a circular brass dial 200mm in diameter.
The cardinal points of the compass are marked "E" "W" and "S" inside a circle at the base of the gnomon. The Chapter Ring shows 4a.m. to 8p.m. in Arabic numerals and it has two fractional time rings around the outside edge of the plate. The inside fractional ring is marked in 30 and 15 min divisions. The outside fractional ring is marked in 30, 15, and 5 min divisions. The hour lines extend from the compass ring to the outer time ring The half hours extend through the Chapter Ring and both time rings. It has a split noon to compensate for the pierced 10mm thick by 120mm high gnomon. The style of the gnomon is engraved with the makers name, now worn but looks like "Lande & Co", If there was a date it is now illegible.The motto reads

  SERENE I STAND AMONG THE FLOWERS
  AND ONLY COUNT LIFE'S SUNNY HOURS
   FOR ME DARK DAYS DO NOT EXIST
  I'M A BRAZEN FACED OLD OPTIMIST

The dial is inset into the top of an ornate 1200mm high pillar sitting on a 900mm diameter by 100mm high circular base. this in turn sits on a 6.6m diameter top step of a tier of four steps with the bottom step being 9metres in diameter.
The gardens were restored about 1920 so the dial probably dates from that time. The larger circular marks on the top of the pillar indicate that it was once occupied by a larger dial.

British Sundial SR No 3608

Lat 54° 33' North  Long 5° 36' West

Irish Grid    J  355270   369510


If you know the location of a sundial in Ireland (NOT a mass produced DIY Store garden ornament) please email it to me (Click here to email M.J.Harley) - a member of British Sundial Society
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