Now I am always pleasantly surprised at those little bits of history which challenge our 21st century obsession with high speed communication and the internet.
Because, here on the seafront, Deal had it all.
This is the Deal Time Ball, which stands atop a building which helped the Admiralty convey messages to the Fleet in a wave of a semaphore.
I say semaphore, but I am full prepared to be put right by Mr. Eric Trellis of Barnes whose chosen specialty is naval communication during the nineteenth century.
Leaving that aside, the tower carried a semaphore mast maintained by the Royal Navy, and from 1855 supported a time ball which fell at 1 pm triggered by a signal from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
Added to which the building is on the site of an earlier shutter telegraph, which from 1796 to 1814 allowed the Admiralty to send messages quickly from London to the Naval Yard at Deal.
Today the building houses, a series of display related to communication, semaphore and signaling, including interactive displays. *
And for those unlike Mr. Trellis who have an interest in the time ball it, is programmed to “drop every day at 1pm. Additionally, during the open season (1 April – 30 September) the ball drops hourly from 9am to 5pm. The Timeball also drops at midnight on New Years’ Eve. The drop cycle is as follows: At 5 minutes to the hour the ball goes half way up; at 3 minutes to the hour it goes to the top of the mast and drops on the hour. The drop cycle is automatic. The Timeball is controlled by the MSF Radio Time Signal transmitter located at Anthorn, in Cumbria”.
The picture was taken by our Elizabeth and Colin on one of their regular visits to Deal.
All of which is straightforward, but left me with a little mystery, because the last picture in the collection is this one also on the sea front.
The mystery is not the installation but the Canadian national flag fluttering in the breeze on the right.
But like all these things, someone will put me right
Location; Deal
Pictures; Deal, 2019, from the collection of Elizabeth and Colin Fitzpatrick
*Deal Time Ball Display, http://www.dealtimeball.co.uk/visit-us
This is the Deal Time Ball, which stands atop a building which helped the Admiralty convey messages to the Fleet in a wave of a semaphore.
I say semaphore, but I am full prepared to be put right by Mr. Eric Trellis of Barnes whose chosen specialty is naval communication during the nineteenth century.
Leaving that aside, the tower carried a semaphore mast maintained by the Royal Navy, and from 1855 supported a time ball which fell at 1 pm triggered by a signal from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich.
Added to which the building is on the site of an earlier shutter telegraph, which from 1796 to 1814 allowed the Admiralty to send messages quickly from London to the Naval Yard at Deal.
Today the building houses, a series of display related to communication, semaphore and signaling, including interactive displays. *
And for those unlike Mr. Trellis who have an interest in the time ball it, is programmed to “drop every day at 1pm. Additionally, during the open season (1 April – 30 September) the ball drops hourly from 9am to 5pm. The Timeball also drops at midnight on New Years’ Eve. The drop cycle is as follows: At 5 minutes to the hour the ball goes half way up; at 3 minutes to the hour it goes to the top of the mast and drops on the hour. The drop cycle is automatic. The Timeball is controlled by the MSF Radio Time Signal transmitter located at Anthorn, in Cumbria”.
All of which is straightforward, but left me with a little mystery, because the last picture in the collection is this one also on the sea front.
The mystery is not the installation but the Canadian national flag fluttering in the breeze on the right.
But like all these things, someone will put me right
Location; Deal
Pictures; Deal, 2019, from the collection of Elizabeth and Colin Fitzpatrick
*Deal Time Ball Display, http://www.dealtimeball.co.uk/visit-us
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