Ptolemy Celeste is pre-engraved with a quotation from Shakespeare. "Thou by the dials shady stealth mayst know times thievish progress to eternity"
Buying a sundial as a Gift
An engraved sundial with your personal dedication makes a unique and truly memorable gift to celebrate a retirement, anniversary, wedding, christening, birthday or Christmas. If you are ordering one as a gift we can deliver to an alternative address like your office or a neighbour. We can also include a card with a personal message - add this in the special instruction box. If we know this is a secret gift we will only contact you if absolutely essential and always be totally discreet. No invoice, receipt or other paperwork with prices is sent with the sundial.
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Price
All our sundial prices include VAT, delivery to the Mainland UK (which includes Northern Island) and a comprehensive booklet describing how to set up and care for your sundial. So what you see is what you pay - there are NO hidden extras except for deliveries outside mainland UK. Northern Ireland is treated as part of mainland UK for the delivery of sundials but NOT plinths.
We will also insure your sundial in the UK against theft for 12 months from the date of purchase provided you have (a) fixed it securely in accordance with our instructions, (b) sent us a photo of your sundial in place and (c) in the event of your sundial being stolen providing us with the police crime number.
Overseas delivery options and prices are shown in the checkout; you need to click on the BUY button to add a sundial to your shopping basket before you can access overseas delivery charges. This does NOT commit you to buying a sundial as you can amend or delete items in the checkout.
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Money Back Guarantee
If you are not entirely satisfied with your sundial - just return it within 7 days and we will refund the purchase price of your sundial or replace it with a different sundial. You will appreciate that this guarantee can not be applied to sundials with personalised engraving or plinths
Delivery Options
The price shown includes VAT and delivery by Parcel Force’s 48 hour service to all of the UK Mainland. Next Day or Saturday am delivery can be added in the checkout but if you have ordered an engraving we need a few days to complete this. The number of days we require to complete an engraving are shown on each sundial page and will be updated periodically as our order book dictates.
Deliveries of sundials to the Scottish Isles, Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, the Channel Isle as well as Eire will incur an additional delivery charge and may take a few extra days.
If you need your sundial delivered by a specific date please note this in the Checkout. Our order acknowledgement will state if this date can be met or not, in the latter case we will, of course, refund your purchase unless you agree to an alternative delivery date.
Setting Up/Fixing
Your sundial needs to be mounted on a firm plinth or pedestal in an open area. The top of the plinth should be as near horizontal as possible.
To align your sundial correctly at 12 o'clock midday, when the sun is due south, stand with your back to the sun and point the arrow away from you - this will be north.
Wait until your watch shows 12 o'clock midday. Turn the dial until the shadow from the arrow shaft (known as the gnomon) cuts the XII hour on the dial plate. In the summer this will be 1 hour ahead of "real" time but as the dial is only likely to be used in the summer the difference should be acceptable.
NOTE: If you want to set your sundial up to show solar (sun) time set the sundial up at 1pm which, because British Summer Time is an hour ahead of solar time, will be solar noon. Align the sundial so that the shadow from the gnomon is on the XII. I have set the sundial up in my garden to show British Summer time as I don't venture out in to the garden much in the winter.
You can now fix the sundial to the plinth. The Ptolemy Celeste armillary sundials have hidden bolts that can be aralidite to a hole drilled in the plinth top.
The Jubilee, Sovereign, Galileo, Plato, Pliny, Archimdes and Courtyard can be fixed in one of 3 different ways Fill the hollow base with cement & sand to bond to a stone plinth, or Screw a M25 bolt in to the base & araldite it to hole in plinth top (not possible on the Galileo), or Drill rim of base of your sundial and screw to plinth top
Full instructions will be sent with your sundial.
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Suitable Latitudes
Our Armillary sundials (except the Ptolemy Celeste) are only suitable for use north of the equator (UK, Eire, Europe, USA and Canada). If you live south of the equator (Australia, New Zealand, South Africa or South America) have a look at our Andromeda, Phoenix, Spot On (Brass) or Zodiac sundials which can be hand crafted to suit your latitude. Email me with your nearest City and I will be able to advise you whether we can design a sundial to suit your location.
The two Ptolemy Celeste sundials are made to order for both north and south of the equator and will be designed specifically for the latitude where they are going to be used - the delivery address unless you advise us otherwise. Email me with your nearest City and I will be able to advise you whether we can design a sundial to suit your location. Click to email me.
On the Jubilee, Sovereign, Plato, Pliny, Archimedes and Courtyard the gnomon (the diagonal arrow which casts the shadow) can be adjusted to suit different locations north of the equator. I supply all my armillary sundials set up correctly for the location it is to be used, based on the postcode to which it is delivered unless you advise us otherwise.
The centre knob of these armillaries is used to loosen the top of the sundial so the angle of the gnomon can be adjusted to suit differing latitudes - so, if you move home, you can take your armillary sundial with you.
Plinths
Your armillary sundial needs to be set on top of a plinth, pedestal, pillar, column balustrade, wall or tree stump in sunny area in your garden with the gnomon pointing due north (full instructions are supplied with each of my sundials).
If you don’t have a suitable plinth or pedestal I would urge you to buy the sundial first. You can then take this around to garden centres or plinth manufacturers and try it on the top of one of their plinths.
If you can’t find a suitable plinth I have selected a range of plinths which can be delivered to your kerbside within 14 days of your order - in the menu on the left click on Plinths & Pedestals.
