Liverpool Road Station sundial

The Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, UK

EMu user since 2000

Object name: Liverpool Road Station sundial
Creators: Unknown
Description: Circular bronze sundial, with a pierced triangular gnomon, affixed to circular polished wood base.
Size: Diameter 530mm, height 285mm.  

Opened on 15 September 1830 the Liverpool Road Station, Manchester, is the world's oldest surviving passenger station. In 1833 this sundial was placed on a pillar above the first-class passenger entrance where it could be seen from the first-class waiting room. At this time railway timetables had to allow for variations in local time because clocks were set to local time taken from sundial readings. Even in a small country such as Britain, variations in local time could be up to 30 minutes, making accurate timetabling almost impossible. The grid reference for Liverpool Road Station - "Latitude 55^o 22' North, Longitude 2^o 12' West" - is engraved on the sundial.

The Great Western Railway took a lead by adopting London time along its route when it opened fully in 1841. In 1844 the Liverpool & Manchester Railway Company directors presented a petition to Parliament urging the adoption of a system of universal time. Other railways supported the petition, but Parliament declined to act. Many railways decided to go ahead and adopt London time for their timetables. The introduction of Greenwich Mean Time as British standard time only came about in 1880 under the Statutes (Definition of Time) Act.