Along Hampton Court Road, among the trees hugging the north bank of the Thames, between Hampton and Kingston, is this sculpture.
It is accompanied by a plaque which reads:
“This unique sundial designed specifically for Taggs Island consists of 13 fins, a hemisphere and rings which represent the Tropics of Capricorn and Cancer and the two polar circles. This dial has been made for the exact latitude and longitude of Taggs Island.
To read Greenwich Mean Time one must find the two opposing hour fins both bathed in sunlight. The shadow cast by these fins is shown on a band engraved at 13-minute intervals and as such at half past the hour the shadow will be to the left-hand side of the fin. When there is no shadow cast by a particular fin the time is on the hour".
David Harber Sundials Henley-on-Thames MCMXCIX
(Reading that reminds me a little how I used to feel after double maths at school)
The sundial was commissioned by the widow of Gerald George 'Gerry' Braban (1931–1993), who lobbied for and co-funded the 1990s built bridge to Tagg's Island.”
Tagg's Island just across the river
Red arrow: Location of sculpture
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