Site: Mendelssohn sundial (1 memorial)
SE15, Ruskin Park, Labyrinth Garden
In 1942 the Mendelssohns stayed in Dane House with their relatives, the Beneckes, and later the Benecke family erected this sundial in their garden to commemorate the Mendelssohn visit. The information board has a photo of the sundial in its original position, on the edge of a lawn around which runs a curved path.
In 1904-7, Dane House and 7 other houses were demolished so their sites and their gardens became part of the public Ruskin Park. In 1910 the Beneckes gave the sundial to the Park and it was repositioned, near the corner of Denmark Hill and Ferndene Road. This made the inscription a lie, since that location had never been part of the Dane House garden. Then in 2021 the sundial was repaired and moved to its current location, making the inscription truthful again.
Our photo is taken from the Wisteria arcade on the southern edge of the enclosed Labyrinth Garden.
Sources include: The , , , a nearby information board.
