Lord Kelvin's Sundial, South Terrace, Gilmorehill Campus, University Of Glasgow is a Grade B listed building in the Glasgow City local planning authority area, Scotland. First listed on 1 December 2011. Sundial.

Lord Kelvin's Sundial, South Terrace, Gilmorehill Campus, University Of Glasgow

WRENN ID
fallow-lead-yew
Grade
B
Local Planning Authority
Glasgow City
Constituency
Glasgow North MP: Martin Rhodes (Lab)
Country
Scotland
Date first listed
1 December 2011
Type
Sundial
OS grid reference
NS 569 665
Coordinates
55.87087, -4.28772
Source
Historic Environment Scotland listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

Lord Kelvin's Sundial, located on South Terrace at the Gilmorehill Campus of the University of Glasgow, is possibly designed by William Thomson, Baron Kelvin of Largs, or his father, James Thomson, from the mid to late 19th century. The sundial features a sandstone terrestrial globe that incorporates four slate sundials with zinc gnomons, all mounted on a circular pedestal. The pedestal is inscribed with the phrase 'Horas non numero nisi serenas', which translates to 'I only count the bright hours'. The top of the sundial is adorned with a crown that includes astrological symbols and dates.

Local climate

Lord Kelvin's Sundial, South Terrace, Gilmorehill Campus, University Of Glasgow sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,290 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 94% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 83% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 56 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 32 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.2°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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