Selected Sundials of North America

This is a selected listing of sundials in the North American Sundial Society Registry. Click on any dial thumbnail picture or city name to display the full dial description with additional information and images.

 

Nova Scotia

 
Amherst Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 472
A Centennial Dial for Amherst, this is a square horizontal dial with clean design about 18 x 18 inches. The dial face and triangular gnomon are cast bronze sitting upon a granite pedestal. The dial has hour lines and Roman numerals from IIII (morning) to VIII (evening) and tick marks for the quarter hours. An accompanying display explains the function of the sundial and contains a table for the Equation of Time, including longitudinal correction.
 
 
Halifax Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 93
Bronze horizontal dial on a granite base. Has Roman numerals showing time noting "Mean solar time in Halifax is 1 hour and 14 minutes behind Atlantic Standard Time."
 
 
Halifax Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 337
The dial is a circle 8 feet in diameter on the ground, with Roman numerals. The gnomon is concrete, stone, standing about 4 foot high It is a memorial to the original black settlers who lived on Campbell Road in Africville and to the members of the Seaview United Baptist Church. The stone sundial, approximately four feet high and eight feet in diameter, rests on a concrete base and points North toward Bedford basin. Inscribed on the side of the monument are the family names of some of the early Africville residents.
 
 
Halifax Nova Scotia Canada Armillary Sphere Dial 343
This armillary sphere, made of steel and brass, is approximately 2 meters tall. The dial is the result of a collaboration between students from the 1997 Industrial Engineering class of the Technical University of Nova Scotia (now called DAL TECH) and a local shipbuilding firm who did the construction. The theme of industrial engineering is reflected in the cogwheel-like metal rings used in the construction. Initials of every classmate are punched into the cogs. On the plinth is the Equation of Time.
 
 
Halifax Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 455
This bronze horizontal dial is approximately 25 cm across on a one-meter high pedestal. Both the dial and dedication plate have a blue-green patina. The gnomon is slightly bent and appears to have been re-attached to the dial. The orientation remains true. Roman numerals mark the hours from 5 am to 7 pm. Hour lines plus half-hour marks. The concrete base is badly cracked and small pieces have fallen away. The dial is well-situated in an open area, but a nearby tree might shade the dial near midday during fall, winter, and spring.
 
 
Halifax Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 1100
A bronze horizontal dial 36cm (14 in) in diameter with chapter ring of Roman numeral hours from V (am) to VII (pm). Hours are delineated in quarter hours and extend from 4am to 8pm (unmarked). Noon is designated by an "O". Gnomon has the inset profile of a bird. At south is father time with a scythe. The conglomerate pedestal is slowly disintegrating.
 
 
Louisbourg Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 391
A small horizontal dial 28 cm in diameter on a limestone pedestal. The dial shows local hours with half-hour lines from 4 am to 8 pm in Roman numerals. Trefoils are interspersed with the hour labels. A south-pointing crescent or moon sits across the sub-style and a representational daisy or sun sits below the center of the dial. The base is a limestone pedestal 85 cm tall. The base is a limestone pedestal 85 cm tall. The dial is located in the Fortress of Louisbourg run by the Parks of Canada. The dial is a modern reproduction of a slate dial excavated at the site.
 
 
Mount Uniacke Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 402
A faithful fiberglass replica of an ornate bronze horizontal dial stands on the Uniacke Estate. The dial is about 40 cm diameter, with a sunburst in the center showing the 16 cardinal points and intricate markings typical of a 19th century dial. Surrounding the cardinal points is a ring engraved "Watch Faster, Watch Slower" with the equation of time. Roman numerals show the hours from V in the morning to VII at evening. This dial was made for Richard Uniacke in 1815, once the Attorney-General of Nova Scotia. The original dial may be in storage in Halifax. The inscribed latitude of 45:5N does not match the Uniacke Estate location. The wooden pedestal is in rather poor condition.
 
 
Starr's Point Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 407
A small horizontal dial, 8-inches in diameter. The dial is a fiberglass reproduction with metal gnomon upon a cement pedestal. The original dial dates from the 1820s and judging from the reproduction, is in very poor condition. Has Roman numerals, but the hour lines do not agree with the gnomon position. Very difficult to read. North edge of gnomon is cut to resemble a face in profile, possibly in reference to the inscription. On the grounds of the Charles Ramage Prescott House, built 1814 - 1816. Prescott was a merchant and horticulturalist.
 
 
Sydney Nova Scotia Canada Armillary Sphere Dial 638
An armillary sphere constructed from a large, dual-loop aluminum radio direction finding antenna. Outer ring is 80 cm (31.5 inch) diameter mounted on a 1.3 m (51 inch) pipe pedestal. Hour ring is stainless steel and marked in ten minute intervals showing local apparent time. A nearby plaque provides Equation of Time conversion to standard time. A second small style projects a shadow at noon local apparent time on a second vertical scale to show the sun's declination.
 
 
Windsor Nova Scotia Canada Horizontal Dial Dial 406
A small horizontal dial with an 11-inch square base. The dial was made in 1845, but the original was damaged by vandals. There now exists a fiberglass reproduction of the dial with metal gnomon on a cast cement base. The dial has Arabic numerals indicating 4 a.m. to 8 p.m. and corresponding hour lines. The dial is located on the grounds of the Haliburton House, built in 1836 by Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia and author of "The Clockmaker" stories.