KS2 Curriculum Web
D.T. Science  Light & shadow (how sundials work)
 Garden design
 Earth & planets in space
 Sundial design
The Sundial Art 
Sculptures 
Texture in nature 
Crea ng garden designs, colour & shading Sculpted by Caius Gabriel Cibber in the
early 18th century
English  Poetry
History The Sundial  Local social history of the House,
Gardens & Brownlow family  Greek Gods
 Wri ng stories
About the sundial:
 (Time) Travel logs/diaries
The sundial, found at the crossroads at the end of the
 Drama / Role Play
central path of the Dutch Garden, was placed there
 Modern classic novels (e.g.
Moondial’) sometime between 1721 and 1754 at the request of
 Time travel
Made from limestone, the pedestal of the sundial
Geography  Travel
Maths  Use of maps,
atlases, globes Sir John Brownlow, Viscount Tyrconnel.
shows two Greek gods – Cronus (God of Time) and
PSHE  ‘Moondial’ story themes of
bullying & friendship an attendant cherub / Eros (God of Love) holding the
sundial on top of a globe shape.
 Time & clocks
The bronze dial is modern replica, as the original was
 Roman numerals
stolen in the 1990s.
For more information about Take One … at Belton House and how to get
involved please contact:
Melissa Maynard, Learning & Community Officer
Belton House (National Trust), Grantham, Lincolnshire, NG32 2LS
01476 542974
[email protected]
About the artist:
Caius Gabriel Cibber (1630 - 1700) was a Danish sculptor who was ‘sculptor in ordinary unto His
Majesty William III’.
The Sundial as inspiration:
Possible lines of enquiry
Helen Cresswell , a local author, was asked by the National Trust to write a book about one of
their properties. She chose Belton House as her husband played cricket there and she visited
1) How sundials work
regularly. She had various ‘sixth sense’ experiences around the house and gardens on a visit
 What is the history of sundials?
and decided to write a story about a modern child going back in time to meet characters who
 Types of sundials
lived at Belton House in the past. The story is set in 1985-86 and she used the sundial, which
 Light and shadows in relation to the sun, moon and other planets
she recreated as the ‘Moondial’ as the magical means by which the main character Minty could
 Time and clocks
travel back in time. The two Greek statues of Gods – Cronus (God of Time) and Eros (God of
Love) were both central to her themes in the book.
2) Greek Gods
 Who were Cronos and Eros?
 Why might they have been used as part of this sundial?
3) Sundials in literacy
 Find out about inscriptions and poems on sundials
 How have sundials been used in literature (e.g. ‘Moondial’ by Helen Cresswell)
4) Garden Design
 How does the sundial fit into the design of the Dutch Garden?
 The Dutch Garden at different times of the day and night
5) Art in different forms
 What is sculpture and how is it made?
 The changing textures and colours of the limestone over time
 Different ways and natural materials that could be used to depict different themes and imagery
Why did the Sundial come here?
Viscount Tyrconnel (pictured right) and his wife Eleanor inherited
6) Time Travel (if using the novel ‘Moondial’)
Belton House in 1721 when it became their main residence. He was a
 Time travel—forwards as well as backwards
person of refined taste who had a love of the arts and pursuit of
 The Sundial as a central fixture in all times
knowledge and who acquired many of Belton’s wonderful collections.
We know that he was the one who brought the Sundial to the
gardens, with other statues sometime between 1721 and 1754, when
an inventory of the gardens was completed.