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8 July 2019
The school and its extensive grounds overlook the Surrey Hills and is therefore a perfect spot for the location of the new sundial at St Augustine’s Priory, independent school for girls in Ealing, West London. The pupils and staff can now enjoy the benefits of their very own analemmatic sundial.
Linking the world of the twenty-first century to the ancient world, the use of sundials reaches back to ancient Greece, Rome, and to the shadow clocks of ancient Babylon.
An analemmatic sundial, such as the one at St Augustine’s Priory, is a horizontal sundial and this one involves humans casting shadows to tell the time. The St Augustine’s Priory sundial has been a cross-curricular project since the start involving maths, science, history, classics and R.E.
The brainchild of Miss Daya, Prep and Junior teacher, she has masterminded its design and installation. which as she says, was, ‘inspired by the analemmatic sundial near where I live. Every time I walk past it I can’t help but go and have a go and see where my shadow falls!
This project has been a year in the planning; the sundial was made to a bespoke design by David Brown Sundials, http://davidbrownsundials.com/, and pupils from St Augustine’s Priory have been involved in its design from the beginning.
On Monday 1st July pupils from across the school assisted in the laying of the stones of the sundial, made of Forest of Dean sandstone, and Miss Daya commented, ‘the sundial is an area of outdoor learning, for use by all ages and is a lasting legacy’.
Funded by the St Augustine’s Priory Parents’ Committee the sundial project has received wholehearted and enthusiastic support from everyone at St Augustine’s Priory.
Mrs Bennet, Head of Maths, commented, ‘I love the sundial. It is beautiful. I am looking forward to trying it out!’
