Frank Evans wrote: > Regarding the recent theft of the Richard Whitehead dial at Dalemain > House in the British Lake District, valued at £60,000, I photographed > this dial in 2002 and in August of that year wrote to the House > Administrator about its vulnerability. My letter contained the following > words: > > "You will be aware that yours is a valuable dial which could become a > target for theft. All too many historic dials are stolen. Have you > perhaps considered bringing it indoors and replacing it with a cheap > modern dial outside? " > > Later I spoke to the Administrator about having a copy made. The price > of a molded reproduction would then have been (from memory) around £500. > This reproduction could have taken the place of the genuine article in > the grounds. I spoke to the Administrator once more in 2004 and she said > she was in contact with the owner but clearly nothing has come of it. > > The dial is of particular interest since it has a central compass rose > served by a shadow pin (which was missing but easily replaced) and the > compass rose was finely divided into intervals of one eighth of a point, > giving pretty accurate azimuths of the sun. > > We should be aware, when grieving about the loss of a historic dial, > that the need for security may sometimes sit pretty lightly on the > shoulders of the owner. This dial need never have been stolen. > Frank 55N 1W > Not to mention the fact that dials often become completely unreadable when left outside, like the one at St. Paul's Walden Bury,. for example.
-- Richard Mallett Eaton Bray, Dunstable South Beds. UK --------------------------------------------------- https://lists.uni-koeln.de/mailman/listinfo/sundial
