Tower Hill Sundial

The Tower Hill Sundial is a unique, ground-level horizontal dial located just outside the Tower Hill Underground Station in London. Functioning as both a functional timekeeper and an intricate pictorial history book, the monument details nearly 2,000 years of the city's past.

Commissioned by London Underground Ltd, the site was unveiled on August 3, 1992, transforming an empty plaza space into a designated public garden and seating area. The space was envisioned by landscape architect John Chitty, who conceived the idea of a giant sundial at its centre, while the renowned English sculptor Edwin Russell was commissioned to bring the historical reliefs to life. Today, the gardens serve as a circular, raised viewing platform overlooking the Tower of London, where tour groups regularly convene to take in the history over the road.

Design and Historical Highlights

At the centre of the dial, just below the large gnomon, sits a prominent bronze anchor, a nod to the dial's close proximity to the River Thames and the historic Pool of London. Radiating outward from this centre is a 3.7 metre (12.14 feet) high bronze band circumscribed by detailed high-relief sculptures.

This outer ring winds chronologically through the history of London and its transport system, stretching from the founding of the Roman city of Londinium in AD 43 right through to the completion of the Thames Barrier in 1982. The reliefs depict iconic milestones, including the construction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, the early omnibus services, and the devastating impacts of the Great Fire and the Blitz.

The "Maggie" Easter Egg

Look closely at the section between the Black Death and the Peasants' Revolt, and you will find a hidden contemporary detail. Sculptor Edwin Russell mischievously included a tiny carving of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, complete with her signature handbag. This political Easter egg serves as a silent nod to the fierce Poll Tax protests that mirrored the civil unrest of the medieval era.

Timeline of London (According to the Sundial)

43: Roman Conquest, London Founded

60: First London Bridge 

60: Population 30,000

61: City Destroyed by Queen Boudicca

190-220: City Walls Built

200: Population 20,000

604: St Paul's Cathedral Founded

896: City Walls Restored by Alfred The Great

981: Fire

1066: Tower of London Founded

1085: Westminster Abbey Consecrated

1106: London Destroyed by Fire

1136: London Destroyed by Fire

1189: First Lord Mayor

1200: Population 25,000

1209: First Stone London Bridge

1349: Black Death, 35,417 Die

1387: Peasants Revolt

1397-1419: Dick Whittington Four Times Lord Mayor

1400: Population 45,000

1411: Guildhall Rebuilt

1500: Population 75,000

1585: Shakespeare Arrives in London

1598-9: Globe Theatre Built

1600: Population 220,000

1603: Plague, 35,000 Perish

1605: Gunpowder Plot

1625: Plaque, 30.000 Perish

1642: Civil War, London Supports Parliament

1649: Charles I Executed

1664-5: Great Plague, 100.000 Perish

1666: The Great Fire, 13.000 Homes Destroyed

1675-1710: St Paul's Cathedral Rebuilt

1700: Population 575,000

1739: Mansion House Built

1739-40: Thames Frozen Over

1759: British Museum Opened

1773: Stock Exchange Founded

1800: Population 959,000

1807: First Street Gas Lighting

1813-14: Thames Frozen Over

1829: First London Police Force

1829: Last Salmon Caught

1829: First Omnibus Service

1837-60: Houses of Parliament Rebuilt

1840: Trafalgar Square Created

1840: Cholera Outbreak

1851: Great Exhibition

1854: Cholera Outbreak

1858: Street Electric Lighting Introduced

1862: Sewers Constructed

1863: Metropolitan Line Paddington to King's Cross First Underground Service

1866: Metropolitan Fire Brigade Established

1881-94: Tower Bridge Constructed

1890: Deep Level Tube

1900: Population 4,536,000

1909: First Mass Produced Bus

1915: First Zepplin Air Raid

1940-41: The Blitz, 1500 Killed

1951: Festival of Britain

1951: Population 3,347,980

1952: Great London Fog 

1975-82: Thames Barrier Built

Quirks, Faults, and Errors

While the sundial is a masterclass in bronze sculpture, it is not without its eccentricities. Visitors who look closely will spot several historical and typographical blunders immortalised in the metal:

• Chronological Errors: The Peasants' Revolt is explicitly dated on the dial as 1387, though the historical event actually took place in 1381. Additionally, the timeline lists a massive London fire in 1106, an event largely unrecorded in mainstream city histories.

• Typographical Typos: The word Zeppelin is missing its second 'e' (spelt Zepplin), and Queen Boudica is spelt with a double 'c' (Boudicca).

• Keeping Time: As a traditional horizontal dial, its accuracy naturally shifts with the Earth's axial tilt, meaning its shadow time can vary from standard clock time by up to 16 minutes depending on the season. Furthermore, during winter (Greenwich Mean Time), visitors must manually subtract one hour from the sundial's reading. Interestingly, the dial features a built-in architectural quirk: the gnomon was cast at an angle that does not perfectly align with United Kingdom coordinates, making it a brilliant piece of art, if a slightly imperfect timepiece.

Practical Information

• Cost: Completely free to view, 24/7.

• Location: Directly opposite the Tower Hill Underground Station steps on the raised viewing concourse.

• Opening Hours: Accessible 24 hours a day, though best viewed on a sunny morning.