“Above all he loved sunlight open spaces and fresh air.” These words encapsulate William Willett. Today, we stand before the Willett Memorial Obelisk. It is a monument that honors his tireless campaign for daylight saving.
Willett was a man of vision. He saw potential where others saw only the ordinary. He noticed wasted daylight during his early morning rides through Petts Wood. This inspired him to advocate for adjusting the clocks. His idea was simple. Make better use of daylight hours.
Willett, a house builder in London’s wealthy areas, moved to Chislehurst in 1894. He bought the Camden Park estate wanting to develop it. He recognized how many hours of daylight were lost each morning. He saw house blinds still drawn on sunny summer days.
His concept faced much opposition. Yet, he persevered. Willett published a pamphlet titled “Waste of Daylight.” He tirelessly campaigned to convince influential people. These included those in government, industry, trade unions, and agriculture. Winston Churchill and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle supported him.
Sadly, Willett did not live to see his idea become reality. He died in 1915. The following year, during the First World War, daylight saving was introduced. It was an emergency measure to save fuel in munitions factories. The Summer Time Act of 1925 made daylight saving permanent.
This Willett Memorial Obelisk stands as a testament to his vision. The obelisk is in Willett Memorial Wood. The wood was nearly lost to suburban expansion after World War I. Local residents campaigned to buy the wood as a memorial to Willett. They needed £12000. Prominent people joined the committee. They acquired the wood piecemeal over two years. Francis Edlmann bought 47 acres to the west. Responsibility passed to the National Trust. It was renamed the Willett Memorial Wood.
The committee decided to place a memorial to Willett inside the wood. It would be a sundial permanently set to Summer Time. G.W. Miller designed the grey granite sundial from Shap Fell. Miller was a local author. Farmer and Brindley of Westminster made it. The Marquess Camden unveiled the memorial on 21 May 1927. About 1000 people attended the ceremony. The deeds of the wood were handed over to the National Trust. This sundial is number BSS 0511 on the British Sundial Society register.
Look closely at the sundial. It is on the south side of the obelisk. The inscription beneath it confirms its unique purpose. The pillar is rough hewn with smooth rectangular panels. The sundial face has a sunburst and Roman numerals. The gnomon is triangular and incised with sunrays.
The Willett Memorial Obelisk is more than a sundial. It is a symbol of one man’s determination. He wanted to improve the lives of others. He achieved this by simply shifting our perception of time. His love for sunlight and open spaces lives on in this memorial. It reminds us to appreciate the daylight hours. It encourages us to make the most of every moment.