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.

British Columbia

	Brentwood Bay	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 928
	This is simple horizontal sundial with the standard cast bronze dial plate, 12 inches in diameter. The sundial shows local solar time with Roman numerals from V to VII with noon marked as XII. The dial is delineated with marks for the half and quarter hours. The hour lines and gnomon angle are correct for the latitude. The gnomon root is in the center of the circular casting. Radiating out from the center is a compass rose showing the cardinal directions.
	Burnaby	British Columbia	Canada	Equatorial Dial	Dial 930
	This substantial and durable 30 inch anodized aluminium equatorial dial is mounted on a concrete plinth with a brass plaque showing the Equation of Time and usage instructions. The gnomon consists of two parallel plates each with a figure-8 analemma cut out. When the figure-8 apertures are rotated toward the sun, the dial illumination is corrected for the equation of time by reading the correct edge of the analemma for the date. If it the gnomon is turned sideways to the sun, the gap between the plates form a slit that produces a narrow beam for reading solar time adjusted to the longitude of the Pacific time zone. The hour scale is marked out at 5 minute intervals. Hours are labeled for Standard Time and for Daylight Saving Time.
	Burnaby	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 689
	A simple horizontal dial with a pipe gnomon in a gravel bed, about 6 feet in diameter. Flush stone hour markers have raised Roman numerals. Unfortunately, several of the hour markers are incorrectly positioned, and moss and weeds partially obscure much of the dial face. Because of the presence of trees all around it, the dial only receives the sun in the middle of the day, and hardly at all in the winter half of the year. A plaque nearby explains that dial was installed to celebrate the opening of Burnaby Lake Park in 1977.
	Colwood	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 656
	A 12 inch octagonal stone horizontal dial with Roman hour numerals. Dial face depicts sun rays radiating from a central Beau Soleil to the hour numerals and outer time scale, which displays 5 minute graduations. This historic dial dates from the original Pendray House on the Havenwood, built in 1928. The dial was in poor condition and the gnomon was missing. In July, 2009, NASS member Roger Bailey cleaned the dial, highlighted the markings and fabricated and installed a new brass gnomon. The property is now Essencia at Esquimalt Lagoon, a private resort community but with public access for community activities. A stone path and arch lead to the dial, nearly overshadowed by a large tulip tree.
	Dawson Creek	British Columbia	Canada	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 929
	An analemmatic dial 23 feet 7 inches wide consisting of a simple concrete slab with black painted marking. Shows solar time plus one hour (akin to Daylight Saving Time). Dial is in memory of a local artist and community activist Edna McPhail (1923 - 2008) who championed the development of the Peace Park in which the dial is located.
	District of North Vancouver	British Columbia	Canad	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 926
	This rather strange split analemmatic dial shows civil time. It has separate morning and afternoon dials with time marks for standard (blue) and daylight saving (red)time. Instead of the usual linear declination of dates made into a walkway on the meridian line, the split analemmatic dial has two analemmas, one for morning and one for afternoon with the yearly dates for standing on the analemma to correct solar time to civil time. As it turns out, the analemmas that are drawn are not "classic" analemmas but special curves where the position on each date is estimated as an average position to correct for all morning or afternoon hours. The only other such dial is at Longwood Gardens in PA. (NASS #328)
	Kamloops	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 959
	A simple horizontal dial consisting of a 6' gnomon made of black-painted steel tubes set in a circular concrete patio.The dial is located in a pleasantly laid out xeno garden (planted for arid conditions) with benches and a pergola. A riverside walk passes close by, and the whole area is designated for recreational and sports use. The gnomon is unusual for its plain industrial feel, and the use of wire mesh to fill in the gnomon's triangular substyle area. As well, the north end of the gnomon is formed by a pole that extends an extra 6' upwards, topped off by a weather vane.
	Kelowna	British Columbia	Canada	Equatorial Dial	Dial 716
	An approximately 18 inch diameter equatorial dial of brushed aluminum and stainless steel with painted steel equatorial and meridian supports. Hour lines and Arabic hour numerals are marked on dial face and a bow string gnomon is tensioned by the meridian arc, which is adjustable for latitude and provided with a marked scale. Meridian arc is supported on a 3-inch diameter steel pole fixed in concrete.
	Kelowna	British Columbia	Canada	Shadow Plane Dial	Dial 960
	It is a large sculpture that acts as a shadow plane dial delineated at hourly intervals. The dial is about 3m high. It is made of mild steel with a concrete base, very precisely cut and installed. It shows local solar time, delineated at hourly intervals. Each shadow plane projects onto a small vane that has notches cut out, the number of notches indicating the hour. This dial is one of the earlier artworks by Alan Storey, a successful Canadian sculptor specializing in large-scale public art. The setting is a pleasant tree-lined courtyard at the center of the campus. in the years since the courtyard was laid out and the dial installed, the trees have grown large and cast shade on the dial. The best time to view the dial in sun is probably mid-morning, or in the winter when deciduous trees have lost their leaves.
	Lake Cowichan	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 989
	This is a beautiful but standard mass-produced dial, with chapter rings for Roman numerals, hour lines, half and quarter hour lines. In the center is the sun surrounded by a compass rose, The dial itself is brass, but sits on a round cast iron base all sitting on a square concrete pillar. The gnomon was vandalized and now is missing. The base is losing its protective coat of paint and starting to rust. A thick hedge has grown up around the sundial, obscuring the sun on the east, south and west sides. It appears to be largely ignored.
	Langford	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 736
	A cast bronze horizontal dial with thick bronze gnomon. Dial face shows hour lines and quarter-hour marks, and Roman hour numerals. Dial center includes a compass rose.
	Nanaimo	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 991
	This is a beautiful but standard mass-produced dial, with chapter rings for Roman numerals, hour lines, half and quarter hour lines. In the center is the sun surrounded by a compass rose, The dial is brass and sits on a tapered square pillar of cut stone. The gnomon is a solid, unadorned shape. Pictorial evidence from the Internet suggests that the dial has been vandalized and repaired more than once.
	Nelson	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 966
	The elegant bronze gnomon is 6 foot high with a modern interpretation of the zodiac sculptured into the lower half. The zodiac is represented by reliefs of Leo, Taurus, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo, and Sagittarius with his bow. The dial face is integrated into the plaza with a stainless steel chapter ring about 12 feet in diameter. The chapter ring has ornate grill work and Roman numerals to mark the hours. A small disk shows the Equation of Time correction in polar form with the months labelled along the circumference and EOT shown radially. The resulting graph looks somewhat like a kidney.
	Nelson	British Columbia	Canada	Armillary Sphere	Dial 584
	This is a lovely dial in a lovely setting. The armillary of wrought iron is intricately and carefully done and blends with the surrounding garden that uses wrought iron railings made with the same look to continue the theme of the sundial. The dial is a 4 foot wide by 6 foot tall armillary of mild steel and blown glass with punched Roman numerals of the hours on the equatorial ring. The ecliptic ring includes zodiacal symbols. Dial base has a 12 inch hemispherical time capsule to be opened October 14, 2015.
	Oak Bay	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 738
	A 10 inch square brass or bronze horizontal dial atop a 22 inch square concrete base with cross-shaped plinth 42 inches high. The natural patina developed by the corrosive sea air has reduced the contrast of the markings. Stylized Arabic hour numerals are engraved in circles. Engraved scrolls add interest but some confusion to the dial face. The dial face and gnomon are only one-eighth inch thick but remain intact.
	Oliver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 809
	A lovely horizontal dial with an 8-foot high stainless steel gnomon. The hour lines are done as colorful alternating red and cream segments set in a 8-foot radius semi-circle. The gnomon is triangular in cross section with a single thin edge casting the shadow. The dial hour numbers are set for daylight, since all of the winery's 100,000 annual visitors are seasonal, coming when Pacific Daylight Time is in place.
	Penticton	British Columbia	Canada	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 240
	This analemmatic dial, the "Skaha Solar Timepiece", dates from 1984 and spans an area of 65' x 35'. At the center is a platform marked out with a steel analemma, acting as the date scale. The steel is embossed with a date scale and zodiac. The hour and cardinal direction markers are concrete posts, installed in 1998 to replace the rotted originals. The size and positioning of the analemma is somewhat mismatched to the placement of concrete markers, but overall it is a well-made piece in a pleasant setting. A nearby explanatory plaque claims, incorrectly, that this is the third-ever analemmatic sundial in the world.
	Saanich	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 935
	The dial is simply but pleasingly decorated. The gnomon is plain. The pedestal is carved from stone taken from ruins of the Basilica of Ste. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec. The Quebec connection is indicated by the use of a Fleur De Lys on the dial face, and Napier's Scottish heritage is referenced by thistle motifs on brass accoutrements fitted to the pedestal.
	Saanichton	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 936
	A simple horizontal bronze sundial about 9 inches in diameter. A sun occupies the interior of the dial with hour lines extending to a chapter ring with Roman numerals marking the hours. Each hour is divided into eight parts along the outer edge of the dial. The dial sits on a square plinth with corresponding square stepped base.
	Sidney	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 749
	A 10 inch diameter horizontal bronze dial with hour lines, quarter hour marks and Roman hour numerals. The dial face includes a central compass rose. The dial sits atop a fluted concrete pedestal. The dial is gnomonically correct, designed for latitude.
	Sidney	British Columbia	Canada	Armillary Sphere	Dial 682
	A 20 inch diameter brass armillary sphere with equatorial, meridian and equinoctial colure rings. Gnomon has two nodus balls that may show solar position at solstices. Equatorial ring has 15-minute marks and Arabic hour numerals. The dial alignment needs adjustment for its current location.
	Summerland	British Columbia	Canada	Armillary Sphere	Dial 952
	A steel patinaed armillary sphere about 1.5m in diameter, mounted on a low boulder. The dial is marked by roman numerals etched completely through the thick equatorial band. Large holes form the hour moment, with smaller holes for the half and quarter hours. The meridian ring also serves as support for the dial. In addition are arctic and antarctic rings. A ball at the center of the dial has outlines of the continents, reflecting its status as a representation of the Earth at the center of the celestial sphere. The design of a slot mechanism allows the equatorial ring to be rotated by 15° for Daylight Saving Time. A simple Equation of Time plaque attached the boulder has explanatory notes allows correction to civil time.
	Summerland	British Columbia	Canada	Equatorial Dial	Dial 969
	This is a standard equatorial in reasonable condition, mass produced, probably steel, about 2 feet in diameter. As at 2019, it is loose on its base and so visitors are likely to find it out of alignment. It is mounted on a rough stone pedestal decorated with strips of metal reminiscent of plant foliage reaching up around it.
	Surrey	British Columbia	Canada	Sculpture/Artwork	Dial 934
	The sculpture, titled "Gnomon", is a metal clematis leaf about 9ft tall and 3ft 6in wide at its widest point. It varies from about 1 in at the edge to about 4 in in the middle. The base is marked with cardinal directions and a present map of the neighborhood. There are a series of twelve 9 inch disks arranged around the sculpture set at a radius of 9 ft. The disks are positioned every 30 degrees around the circle, and at the north point, is an additional disk for "12 PST". All components of the sculpture are case iron, set into a graveled area. According to accompanying information,"Gnomon, featured in Fleetwood Park’s perennial garden, is inspired by the notion of a sundial marking time. A gnomon is the central part of a sundial that casts a shadow that marks the passage of time. This artwork tells the story of the passage of time in the growth, change, and appearance of Fleetwood’s historic community landmarks.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 920
	This is a 25 cm horizontal dial engraved on a 1/4 inch yellow metal plate (probably bronze). It shows local solar time. The hour marks look precise and consistent, but upon closer look are oddly arranged. The dialist attempted to shift the dial hour lines to correct for longitude (3.17 deg west). The AM hour lines are fairly accurate except the earliest hour lines (IV, V) which inconsistently meet the gnomon foot on the wrong side. The PM hour lines seem to mirror the AM lines except that 3 degrees had been added to each, rendering inaccurate time throughout the afternoon. The gnomon is slightly bent, and nearby buildings and trees block the dial at some times of day. The dial is decorated using simple geometric and visually pleasing patterns. Shallow engraving is used for the hour lines (making them a bit difficult to read), labels, and decoration. The gnomon has a bird engraved on each side and sits on a wedge base. The dial sits on a short granite pedestal with a polished top surface, and was commissioned by his parents in memory of Robert Carlyle Howard (born 1953, died 1970).
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 932
	This was once a very beautiful sundial sitting on a short concrete pedestal. Now it has a missing gnomon and the dial color is uniformly aquamarine except where the coating has been rubbed away to reveal a white substrate. Tapping the dial face makes a dull sound suggesting the dial is not metal and may be hollow. A possible explanation is that the dial could be made of some kind of cast resin or fiberglass and was then spray-painted. The dial face itself is elegantly sculpted into five sectors, showing clusters of flowers, berries and fruits, creating a pronounced 3D effect. Because of this, the hour lines are reduced to short ticks at the edge of the dial face. The dial shows solar hours, marked off using Roman numerals.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Equatorial Dial	Dial 931
	A simple but elegant and well-executed bronze equatorial dial by renowned local sculptor Gerhard Class. It is about 24-inches in diameter and is mounted on a 16 x 16 x 36-inch plinth of nephrite jade, damaged at one corner. The gnomon has a central slit and can be rotated about the polar axis to create a narrow beam of light for precise reading of the sun's position. The dial shows local solar time plus one hour, corresponding to Daylight Saving Time. The dial's construction is technically perfect but, sadly, the dial appears to be misaligned with the gnomon axis pointing 7 deg west of north.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Sculpture/Artwork	Dial 990
	This artwork along Prince Edward street stretches about 1.5 mile (2.4 km). The latitude and longitude are given for the mid point. As public art the installation is know as Solar Patterns I and II. They are a collection of metal banners attached high on street poles and at eye level, an explanation of the pattern in the banner. Each banner consists of a yellow or orange aluminum sheet perforated with round holes representing the sun following a simple curve that is part of the analemma. The third dot from the top of the banner is replaced by an image of the sun as conceived by various artists ranging from school children to iconic images from various cultures to historic representations of the sun from cave paintings.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 1099
	This is intended to be a horizontal sundial, but positioned poorly and viewed by nearly no one.. The chapter ring is marked out in Roman numerals running from V (am) to IV (pm) on a large semi-circular arc of open metalwork supported by a trellis structure. It is very large, about 40 meters across. The gnomon is a separate structure and is not positioned or oriented correctly.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 925
	A delightful dial in a delightful setting, well worth the modest admission fee. It is an 18 inch patinated bronze disk mounted on an elegant white granite pedestal, with the hours adjusted to the time zone. The face is a finely crafted bas relief delineated in quarter hours, with the hours labeled using Roman numerals. The lower part of the dial shows the Arms of UBC, along with the leaves and flower spikes of a plant. In keeping with the medicinal purpose of a Physic Garden, the sculpted gnomon features a snake (a traditional symbol for a physician) entwined around a poison chalice (a traditional symbol for a pharmacist). A plaque on the pedestal dedicates the dial to Frank Ebenezer Buck, 1876 - 1970, UBC’s first Landscape Architect. The pedestal is from the 1920s, predating the dial, and was used elsewhere in the Botanical Gardens for their now-lost original sundial.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 927
	The analemmatic sundial is laid within a 15-foot circle of light red concrete, set in the middle of a large grey concrete concourse on the south side of the school. Hour points are marked by 4-inch bronze disks embedded in the concrete; the declination scale is made of embedded tiles. The scale is red in part and blue in part, denoting the summer and winter periods. Correspondingly, each hour point hour is labeled twice; red for Daylight Saving Time and in blue for Standard Time. The dial incorporates a longitude correction for the time zone, and features Sunrise & Sunset Markers ("Bailey Points"). All labels were hand-painted by students - a deliberate measure intended to require occasional repainting and hence continued student engagement and involvement with the dial over the years.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Hours to Sunset	Dial 919
	This bright and colorful vertical dial declines west, showing "Hours to Sunset" (Italian hours). The dial is decorated in the colors of the rainbow, with a band of color for each hour left to sunset. Quarter hours are marked using thin white lines. The dial was commercially printed on 60 x 90 cm (24 x 36 inches) sheet of aluminum-plastic laminated material with a UV-protective coating. In the summer of 2023, the previous gnomon was replaced with a 3D-printed carrot, the tip of which acts as a nodus. The supporting structure is made from red cedar.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Equatorial Dial	Dial 645
	A 30 inch diameter bronze equatorial dial. A slot in the rotatable gnomon project a line of sunlight onto the equatorial ring displaying Arabic hour numerals. Dial is corrected for longitude. Dial is mounted on a 53 inch high stone pedestal. This dial is also known as the George Cunningham Memorial Sundial as it was sponsored by the Cunningham Drug Stores to commemorate the opening of their first store in 1911 at a nearby corner.
	Vancouver	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 648
	A large concrete and pebble horizontal dial with a 30 foot high gnomon. Hour lines are wood dividers in concrete with Roman numeral hour markers. Dial center and gnomon are situated in a lily pond. Dial is on private property but is fully visible from public street.
	Vernon	British Columbia	Canada	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 933
	This is a standard outdoor analemmatic dial located on a hillside allowing all-day illumination and providing good views of Vernon and the surrounding area. The layout was designed by James Kanester. Rather than acting as a "Human Sundial" this analemmatic uses a movable vertical pole that sits in a slot in the declination scale. A central figure-8 analemma curve provides an indication by date where to place the gnomon in the slotted meridian grove. The declination scale, designed and constructed by Joel Wrinch, is wooden with engraved lettering and analemma. The dial's hour marks are concrete posts, topped by glass mosaics made by local artist Connie Vetter-Johnson. Only whole hours are marked. Dial furniture includes a larger glass mosaic image of a hawk. The dial's major axis is about 22 feet, the declination scale is about 6 feet long, the hour markers are 12 inches in diameter. The hawk mosaic is about 18 inches in diameter.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 572
	A replica 12-inch bronze horizontal dial on a concrete plinth. This dial is a memorial for Marjorie Napier, a twelve-year-old St. Ann's student who died on 31 May, 1922. The original dial and limestone plinth were moved to Queenswood, a private retirement home for elderly nuns and seniors. A plaque for the replica dial reads, "In memory of Una Holm (Robertson) Class of 1928. Thank you the Sisters of St Ann's, the strength of Sister Eleanor Marie and the Rock which was St Ann's Academy. Replica sundial donated by husband Sandy E S A Holm and their daughter Karen Michaelson (Holm) Class of '53."
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 1046
	An ordinary mass-produced horizontal dial mounted on a simply decorated cast concrete pedestal. 11.5" diameter, cast iron with verdigris finish. The dial face is inclined but in the wrong direction, opposite to what is needed to properly align the style to the polar axis (cannot be corrected because fixture is damaged). Appears to be a Model #2550 'Father Time' dial from Rome Industries.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Vertical Dial	Dial 575
	A 30x20-inch vertical dial declining 7° 33' west of south made of granite inset in a stone wall. A memorial dial for Betty Whitlow commissioned by Dean Brian Whitlow. Inscribed, "IN MEMORIAM BETTY WHITLOW, UXOR MATER DELICTISIMUA, MCMXCVI." Information on EOT and longitude corrections are available just inside the south door of the cathedral.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Analemmatic Dial	Dial 663
	A 20 foot overall tinted concrete analemmatic dial with brass numerals, aluminum and granite slabs. Distance between major axis and small hour marks is 16.4 feet. Brass Roman numerals 10 inches high are set in a grey outer ring. Longitude and EOT corrections are marked beside the monthly date marks. A plaque commemorating the British Columbia 150 year celebration includes instructions on use and information on the dial designers and sponsors.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 752
	A bronze horizontal dial with hour lines, quarter-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. Dial face includes a central compass rose. The dial sits atop a carved cedar totem depicting an Orca killer whale. The totem is carved in the Coastal Salish tradition by Aubrey LaFortune, a member of the Cowichan Band of native Canadians.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 753
	A 12 inch diameter cast bronze horizontal dial with hour lines, quarter-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. Dial face includes a central compass rose with cardinal directions. The dial sits atop a cast concrete pedestal sculptured with curves, fronds and cherubs. However the dial may be misaligned from true North. The gnomon angle appears close to the dial's latitude (measured at 49.2°).
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 754
	A 9 inch diameter cast bronze dial with hour and half-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. The dial face has a compass rose at the center with cardinal and ordinal directions. The casting is of poor quality and the gnomon, brazed in place, is bent and at the wrong angle. The sundial is a monument to the Point Hope Shipyard. Engraved on one side is the history of the shipyard, the oldest in British Columbia, renovated and reopened in 2007. The cast dial pedestal is marked, "This newel post was saved from the demolition of St. Mary's Hospital, Victoria.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 755
	A 12 inch diameter cast bronze horizontal dial with hour lines, quarter-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. Dial face includes a central compass rose with cardinal directions. The dial sits atop a cast decorative concrete pedestal. The dial is correctly designed for the location and is one of at least seven such dials in the Victoria area.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 756
	A 12 inch diameter cast bronze horizontal dial with hour lines, quarter-hour marks and Roman hour numerals. Dial face includes a central compass rose with cardinal directions; large characters inscribe RVYC and 1992. Dial sits atop a tapered mortared stone pedestal
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 813
	This brass horizontal sundial was designed and engraved for use in the town of Hope BC by British Royal Engineers in 1860. The circular dial is 8 inches diameter with a triangular gnomon. Time lines are engraved at 15 minute intervals from 4 am to 8 pm. The dial is on display in the museum beside other survey instruments and the red uniform of a Royal Engineers Sergeant.
	Victoria	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 924
	A standard cast bronze sundial, 12 inches in diameter. It shows solar time with Roman numerals from V to VII with noon as XII. Also marked are the half and quarter hours. The hour lines and gnomon angle are correct for the latitude. The gnomon root is in the center of the circular casting in the center of the wind rose showing the cardinal directions.
	White Rock	British Columbia	Canada	Horizontal Dial	Dial 759
	A 9 x 12 inch stainless steel horizontal dial with 4 AM to 8 PM hour lines and Roman hour numerals for 6 AM and 6 PM. Dial is set on a 24 inch square capital atop a 30 inch high pedestal of concrete and local stones. This pedestal sits on a 50 inch square concrete base that was saved when the railway was moved in 1984
	Wynndel	British Columbia	Canada	Cylindrical Dial	Dial 760
	A ring equatorial dial built inside a cross-sectioned propane LPG tank. The equatorial surface has an inset plaque that shows EOT corrected time and includes declination lines for date shown by the shadow of the nodus on the polar gnomon wire. Dial sits on a granite block pedestal that shows cardinal directions.