The Story of the Seven Dials Sundial
At the heart of London’s West End stands one of the city’s most curious and symbolic landmarks — the Seven Dials sundial column. What looks today like a charming historic monument is actually a survivor of ambition, urban chaos, disappearance… and dramatic rebirth.
A Radical Urban Experiment (1690s)
In the 1690s, property developer Thomas Neale envisioned something bold on the rural outskirts of London. Rather than the standard grid of streets, he designed seven roads radiating from a single central point — an unusual layout inspired by continental European planning.
Thomas Neale had an interesting life. At various points he was the Master of the Mint, an MP, started the first ever lottery in England, was the Groom Porter, thereby controlling access to the Monarch, and an entrepreneur whose ventures included a new method of raising shipwrecks.
In 1690, as a reward for raising vast sums of money for the Crown, Neale was given one of the last remaining undeveloped patches of land in central London. Neale's vision was to establish one of the most stylish areas in the capital.
Neale planned an innovative star-shaped street pattern which was different to the grand public squares that were fashionable at the time. The planning application showed six streets, a church and a sundial pillar in the centre. The church was never built but a seventh street was added.
It is the unusual inter-crossing streets that give Seven Dials much of its character and beauty. However, Thomas Neale's motivation behind the design was not aesthetic, but financial.
In Neale's time, commercial rent was based on the width of the shop front; The wider the shop front, the higher the rent. Neale recognised that he could make more money from his unconventional street layout because it would allow him to have more and wider shop fronts.
At the centre, Neale erected a column topped with six sundial faces, each facing a different street (the column itself being the 7th). Together, they gave the area its name: Seven Dials. Each face caught the sun at different angles, allowing passersby approaching from any of the seven streets to read the time.
The sundial was both practical and symbolic — a monument to precision, order, and modernity.
From Vision to Vice
Neale’s elegant vision did not age gracefully.
By the 18th and early 19th centuries, Seven Dials had become one of London’s most notorious slums. This was partly becasue of the way in whcih leases were drawn up. Many of the properties were sub-divided .The grand geometry remained, but the streets filled with overcrowded housing, gin shops, and poverty. The area became infamous for crime and hardship.
Writer Charles Dickens described Seven Dials vividly in Sketches by Boz, painting a picture of a labyrinth of narrow streets and desperate living conditions. The sundial column, once a proud centrepiece, became a grimy landmark in a struggling district.
Disappearance and Rediscovery
By 1773, the original column was removed — reportedly because it had become a place of nuisance in one of the most violent areas of London. 'Undesirables' were regularly congregating around the pillar. The sundial was seen as a symbol of decline. For nearly two centuries, the monument vanished from the landscape and the name of Seven Dials became largely forgotten.
It would not be until the latter part of the 20th Century that action would be taken to give new life to Seven Dials. In 1974, it was declared a Conservation Area: Its unique design and original streets – and some buildings from the 1690s – made it one of the most richly historical areas of London. At the beginning of the regeneration 90% of the housing had been empty for over 40 years. Local campaigners pushed to restore the historic focal point and 1989, a reconstructed version of the Seven Dials column was erected, close to its original position. It was unveiled by Queen Beatrix of Netherlands during her visit to commemorate the 300th anniversary of William III.
There is a plaque on the plinth which explains how to use the sundials to tell the time. Apparently each of the 6 faces is accurate to 10 seconds!
How to claim this Virtual Cache
Please go to the posted coordinates and take a photo of either yourself or your caching name with the sundial in the background. Upoad the photo with your log.
Unfortunately found it logs without the required photo will be deleted after 7 days.
Virtual Rewards 5.0 - 2026-2027
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between February 3, 2026 and February 3, 2027. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 5.0 on the Geocaching Blog.