Christopher StJ H Daniel MBE
Suninfo is very sad to report
the death of the UK's pre-eminent Sundial Designer, Christopher St J H Daniel in
the early morning of the 17th May 2022. Doreen and he had been together for over
41 years.
Christopher was arguably the most prolific designer of sundials in the UK today.
His works are to be found all over the country and range from private
commissions to major public works and to restorations of old and damaged dials.
His other dial related work extends to such things as designs for 'ex libra'
library inserts, logos, The BSS logo itself and even to poetry. Christopher was
appointed MBE in the Birthday Honours of 2013 for his services to the History of
Marine Navigation, Timekeeping and Sundials. The archive of Christopher
Daniel’s work is held at the National Watch and Clock Museum, 514 Poplar St,
Columbia, PA 17512, United States. Science, history, art, and his works of a
life time are all represented in the Daniel collection which will shortly be
available to researchers.
Christopher Daniel had been the regular author of 'The Sundial Page' of Clocks
Magazine for twenty years from 1988, after he took over the editor's role from
Noel Ta’Bois. His first contribution to the magazine was an in-depth article on
stained-glass sundials, in the April 1987 issue, with a checklist of such dials
that were still extant in the British Isles. In later issues, he also wrote
in-depth articles on the Sundials of Malta and those great horizontal sundials
in Portugal that used to regulate the flow of water in the vineyards.
Christopher was born on 13th November 1933 in ‘Maybourne’, his maternal
grandfather’s house, in Sydenham, in the London Borough of Bromley in Kent. In
1947, Christopher went to school at Pangbourne Nautical College, near Reading in
Berkshire, where he enjoyed the naval discipline, acquired an interest in
submarines, particularly German U-boats, and reluctantly learned the rudiments
of navigation – a subject which, just a few years later, was to become close to
his heart. In 1955, after taking his initial professional examinations,
Christopher joined the great passenger line, which had long attracted him, the
P&O Steam Navigation Company with the rank of 4th Officer, and, at about the
same time, he also joined the Royal Naval Reserve, with the rank of
‘Probationary Acting’ Sub-Lieutenant. In this capacity he sailed the world in
various different ships, including cargo ships and passenger ships – mainly on
the Australian run, but also to the Far East – and in warships, including
coastal minesweepers and frigates.
After a thirteen year career at sea, Christopher Daniel joined the staff of the
National Maritime Museum at Greenwich in 1964, working in the Department of
Navigation & Astronomy. From 1967 onwards, his early curatorial responsibilities
encouraged him to make a particular study of sundials and dialling literature.
In 1972 he undertook his first ‘sundial’ design, which was the armillary symbol
of the newly established Nautical Institute, which was to set him on course for
a later third career in sundial design. Also, in this same year, he published
his first small contribution to dialling literature: Sundials – The Common
Vertical in N.W. Kent, (1972).
Granted sabbatical leave by the Museum, he returned again to the sea briefly,
joining the reproduction of Francis Drake’s famous ship, the Golden Hinde, as
second-in-command, (1973-1975). During the course of the voyage from Plymouth to
San Francisco, he used copies of period Tudor navigation instruments, carrying
out a programme of observations in the Atlantic and on passage up the Pacific
seaboard to San Francisco. In 1976, following his return to the National
Maritime Museum, he was given responsibility for Education Services and in 1979
he became Head of the Department of Museum Services. In 1977, Christopher
designed the now well known ‘dolphin’ equinoctial mean-time sundial at
Greenwich, celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, and, in 1979, this was
followed by a sculptured vertical sundial for the new premises of the Marine
Society and the Nautical Institute at Lambeth. In 1980, he delineated the
horizontal sundial which was presented by the VC & GC Association to HM The
Queen Mother, to celebrate her 80th birthday, set up in the Doll’s House garden
of the Royal Lodge at Windsor.
In 1986, after twenty-two years, he took early retirement
from the Museum, pursuing his third career as a sundial designer, author and
lecturer. Also, in 1986, his most lasting and evidently popular contribution to
dialling literature was published, which was his Shire album 'Sundials'. In
2004, Shire Publications upgraded this little album to a more substantial book
in full colour. By 2008, this work, already described as the best introduction
to the subject, had sold over 26,500 copies, which must surely be a record in
such a limited field. However, within two years, in 1989, he joined with three
others to form the British Sundial Society, which soon had a
five hundred strong membership - sadly now depleted after his retirement as
Chairman - which has established itself with an enviable reputation across the
world. Christopher Daniel designed the Society’s ‘equinoctial’ sundial symbol
and was the Chairman and until his death President of the organisation,
following the untimely death of Dr Andrew Somerville, in 1990.
Other than the sundial designs already mentioned, Christopher’s most notable
works include the four sundials on St Margaret’s, Westminster (now reduced to
three after the recent restoration of the original clock); the reconstructed
‘17th century’ vertical sundial in HM Tower of London; the vertical declining
mean-time noon-mark sundial at Green College, Oxford to celebrate the
bicentenary of the Radcliffe Observatory; the ‘Nelson’ vertical declining
sundial at Chatham (sadly removed a few years ago by the local Council after an
act of what must surely still be regarded as near vandalism) and which ‘tracked’
the Battle of Trafalgar on 21st October, indicating the time of Nelson’s death;
the Sir Francis Drake commemorative stained-glass sundial in Buckland Abbey, in
Devon; the 17th century-style stained-glass sundial in the Merchant Adventurers’
Hall in York; the equinoctial stainless steel armillary sundial, marking the
centenary of the Savoy; and very many others.
Christopher served as Deputy Master of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners
for the year 1989/90, during the period when HRH the Prince of Wales was titular
Master, and he designed the Company’s commemorative ‘human’ analemmatic sundial
for the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, in Staffordshire. It must be
said that he has probably written more about sundials than anyone else has done,
bearing in mind that he produced more than 240 articles for Clocks alone, not to
mention all his other publications!
Forwarding address for Christopher's partner for condolences etc: Mrs D Bowyer, c/o Mr CHK Williams, Secretary British Sundial Society, 99 Western Road, LEWES, East Sussex BN7 1RS
Christopher Daniel MBE:
|Christopher
Daniel's article about the Faversham Noon Mark |The
Christopher Daniel Archive Announcement
|Bibliography
Christopher Daniel's publications and articles
| Portfolio
Christopher Daniel's Dial Restoration Projects| Christopher
Daniel's Dialling Commissions|Christopher
Daniel's note for the Highgate School OB magazine| The
Life and Times of BSS President Christopher StJ H Daniel|