Sundials by Robert Foster Commission a dial

Pedestals

A dial has to stand on something, and what it stands on decides how it is seen: at what height, against what, and from how far away. It is the half of the decision that has nothing to do with the brass.

Long distance pedestal delivery is not really practical for us. We sometimes have a small selection of pedestals at the craft centre showroom.

So a pedestal is usually found separately from the dial. Below is what the common ones do, and the two makers Robert points people to.

What a plinth does

Five pieces from the collection, each photographed where it was set up. It is the stone underneath that decides how much of the garden the dial commands.

An Ecliptic armillary on a pale stone Upton pedestal at the centre of an octagon of paving set into a lawn, with hydrangeas and a fence behind it.Ecliptic on an Upton pedestalA tall baluster, at the centre of an octagon of paving.An Orbis armillary on a fluted Doric column pedestal, standing on a circle of block paving cut into a lawn beside water.Orbis on a Doric pedestalA fluted column, standing on a circle of block paving.An Orbis armillary on a plain panelled Tuscan plinth standing in front of a brick wall.Orbis on a Tuscan plinthA plain panelled block, quieter and lower than the column.A Draco armillary on a tall fluted Brympton pedestal, standing on a lawn scattered with fallen autumn leaves.Draco on a Brympton pedestalA fluted column with a stepped cap, the most formal of the five.A Capricornus armillary on a small rustic stone pedestal set into a lawn, with forsythia in yellow flower and a beech hedge behind it.Capricornus on a Rustic pedestalThe lowest of the five, so the dial face is read from close to.

The Linford Manor pedestal

This one is not ours. The Linford Manor pedestal is available directly from its Kent based manufacturer, not through the workshop.

It stands 50 inches tall. On his own Classic page Robert calls it a traditional Old English style and a splendid feature for a large formal garden, which is what the first photograph shows: a brass dial closing the centre of a brick paved circle in a box hedged garden. The second is the same pedestal under a very different piece.

If a Linford is what you want, ask on the telephone or at the showroom.

A Classic brass dial on a tall urn shaped Linford Manor pedestal at the centre of a brick paved circle, in a formal garden with clipped box beds around it.ClassicOn a Linford Manor pedestal, 50 inches tall.A Cygnus swan sundial on a pale Linford pedestal standing on a brick paved circle in a large lawn, with an avenue of trees behind it.CygnusThe same pedestal, carrying a very different dial.

Acanthus Cast Stone

Some suitable pedestals are available from Acanthus Cast Stone, in reconstituted stone. Their leaflet is here as a single printable page, so you can see the shapes and the sizes before you telephone anybody.

This is a separate company. Nothing on that leaflet is ordered, priced or delivered through the workshop.

Before you settle on one

Two things from Robert's own installation sheet decide where the pedestal goes. The base has to be horizontal, and the spot has to get full sun. Everything after that is a matter of taste and of height.

If you already have a plinth, the thing worth checking before you order is the top: how wide it is, whether it is level, and what the fixing can go into.

What is standing in the showroom changes week to week, so telephone the workshop on 01952 884057 and ask before you make the journey.

Visit the workshop See dials in gardens