• Home
  • Brief History
  • The Greenwich Meridian
  •  
  • Greenwich (1675–1958)
  • Herstmonceux (1948–1990)
  • Cambridge (1990–1998)
  • Outstations (1822–1971)…
    • – Chingford (1822–1924)
    • – Deal (1864–1927)
    • – Abinger (1923–1957)
    • – Bristol & Bradford on Avon    (1939–1948)
    • – Bath (1939–1949)
    • – Hartland (1955–1967)
    • – Cape of Good Hope    (1959–1971)
  •  
  • Administration…
    • – Funding
    • – Governance
    • – Inventories
    • – Pay
    • – Regulations
    • – Royal Warrants
  •  
  • Contemporary Accounts
  • People
  • Publications
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Telescopes
  • Chronometers
  • Clocks & Time
  • Board of Longitude
  •  
  • Libraries & Archives
  • Visit
  •  
  • Search
Royal Observatory Greenwich – postcard collection
 1
of
0
...

Estimated date
 1947–57
Publisher
 Anonymous
Publisher's title
 n/a
Nominal size
 5.5 x 3.5 inches (real photograph)
Publisher/printer ref.
 n/a
Website ref.
 PC0287

Tradition has it that the clock has never been put forward by an hour to show British Summer Time. This image would suggest otherwise. Historically, the clock has always been positioned on a north-south alignment in the plane of the meridian. Given this, it would be impossible under normal circumstances for the dial to be illuminated by the Sun at the time shown (even taking into account the equation of time). One can only conclude therefore that either it was set to Summer Time, or it had stopped, or it was showing an incorrect time. Both of the last two suggestions are highly unlikely.
 

...