Ancient time-telling devices — turned garden ornaments — from the Country Life Archive
Man has been consumed by time and how to tell it for millennia. Sundials are an important part of this history and there are plenty of pictures of them — in some of Britain's most beautiful gardens — hiding in the Country Life Archive.
At the end of this week, on Sunday, March 29, 2026, we lose an hour of precious sleep, but it's a small price to pay for the sense of optimism that comes with the official arrival of British Summer Time.
Of course, summer will take its time to arrive, but as the days lengthen and the sun lingers longer in the sky, the buds on trees will start to open and life return back to the land.
Humans have always been fascinated by the concept and passing of time. One of the earliest examples of a timekeeping instrument is the sundial, which measures the time of day by the position of the sun, using a gnomon to cast a shadow across a marked dial plate. They are a common sight on walls and in rose gardens, across the country, to this day.
Country Life’s Archive holds photographs of numerous examples these time-telling devices. Here are a few favourites from the vaults.
Broughton Castle, Banbury
This magnificent floral and topiary sundial (main image) on the lawn at Broughton Castle reads: 'Give light to them that sit in darkness, and guide our feet into the way of peace'.
Ascott House, Buckinghamshire
Giant topiary Roman numerals make up the face of this living sundial. The romantic motto behind reads: 'Light and shade by turn, but love always'.
Duncombe Park, Helmsley, North Yorkshire
Covered in lichen, Old Father Time wrestles with time itself on the back lawn of Duncombe Park house in this photograph that accompanied a 1905 article on the property.
Situated in the market town of Helmsley, North Yorkshire, the Grade II-listed, 18th-century limestone sculpture has been attributed to the workshop of John Nost.
Little Brington, Northamptonshire
The simple, circular sundial has the date '1617' and the coat of arms of the Washington family (the same family President George Washington came from) carved into it.
The photograph was used in a Country Life article on the village, in 1911.
The Merchant’s House, Marlborough, Wiltshire
Photographed in 2008, this rare stained-glass sundial is situated in the first floor parlour at the Merchant's House. It includes the Latin motto Dum Spectas Fugio ('While you watch, I fly’).
Lennoxlove, East Lothian, Scotland
Acquired from the garden of the old mansion of North Barr, on the Erskine Estate in Renfrewshire, this stone timepiece features a remarkably strong lady holding time steady on her head.
Dressed in 17th-century costume, and clutching a rose to her breast, the arresting sculpture carries the date 1679.
It was photographed in 1914.
Sutton Courtenay Manor, Berkshire
Believed to feature the great, naturalistic gardener Norah Lindsay, this 1904 photo, taken at Lindsay’s home, also shows a towering sundial, believed to be from the 17th century.
Abbotswood, Lower Swell, Gloucestershire
Cheeky cherubs hold time aloft in this Gloucestershire garden, laid out in the early 20th century by Edwin Lutyens.
The unseen motto on the top reads: '1902 - Time is the devourer of all things'.
It was photographed for Country Life in 1913.
The Country Life Image Archive contains more than 150,000 images documenting British culture and heritage, from 1897 to the present day. To search and purchase images directly from the Image Archive, please register here.
