Burghley House, Hourglass Clock

This cryptic outdoor timepiece alludes to the seafaring ancestry of the Burghley family, in whose gardens the timepiece is located.

The hourglass pedestal bears 12 icons which correspondwith each passing hour. They correlate with specificstories relating to members of the family including
Lord Burghley, English statesman and friend to Queen Elizabeth I.

Through the glass spyhole in the pedestal, icons are revealed as they wax and wane. It is up to the viewer to interpret how it corresponds to the cryptic “timescale”configuration of copies on the pedestal side.

As with an old marine hourglass, the passing hour is described by the hourglass; the pouring sand and curious movement becoming at once engaging and completing this puzzle in time. The ring surrounding the hourglass comprises a stainless-steel casing and concealed bronze rack gear.

  • Date:
    07/29/2009
  • Categories:
    sport & leisure
  • Client
    Burghley House
  • Location
    Lincolnshire, UK
  • size
    2m
  • Materials
    Stainless steel, bronze, glass, sand
  • Date
    2008
  • Ref
    29008

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