New sundial on Kirkcaldy waterfront honours town’s very own Time Lord, Sir Sandford Fleming

The wraps have come off new public art which celebrates one of Kirkcaldy’s own Time Lord.
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Sir Sandford Fleming created worldwide standard time zones, as well as making his mark in Canada where he designed the country’s forest postage stamp and engineered its major rail link.

Now his remarkable achievements are captured in a new sun dial at Port Brae.

It also acts as a market for the waterfront walk.

The new sundial on Kirkcaldy waterfront celebrating the achievements of Sir Sanford FlemingThe new sundial on Kirkcaldy waterfront celebrating the achievements of Sir Sanford Fleming
The new sundial on Kirkcaldy waterfront celebrating the achievements of Sir Sanford Fleming

Created by specialist iron workers, it has been erected on greenspace next to the small car park, opposite Merchant’s House cafe.

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When you stand at the month of the year, your shadow will tell the time - a nod to Fleming’s huge contribution.

The initiative was part of the first phase of the £1.6m Council-funded Waterfront Regeneration Project, which is aimed at better connecting the waterfront and the town centre.

Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy in January 1827 and studied engineering and surveying.

At the age of 18 he emigrated to Canada where he worked as a railway engineer before going on to become chief engineer of the Northern Railway of Canada.

In 1876, confusion over a railway timetable gave him the idea to bring in a single 24 hour clock for the world.

A few years later he proposed linking this to the Greenwich Meridian and introduced a system using standardised time zones around the globe.

There is already a plaque dedicated to Sir Sandford in the town’s War Memorial Gardens which was unveiled in 1973, so this will be a second public piece paying tribute to his achievements.

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