The art of good timing

Timing was everything - and the artist got it spot on - when a new public work got underway.A pair of bronzed steel lock gates being built in Stalybridge's Armentieres Square will also act as a sundial.So, as shadows stretched across the square the work, by Cumbrian artist Alan Dawson, was officially begun.The balance beam arms of the lockgates are angled so the main beam will form a giant working sundial with Roman and Arabic numerals made from stone blocks. They will also form seating in the square.Alan Dawson, of ADA, said: "When I visited Stalybridge, I noticed the shadow cast by the lock gate arm as it fell on the sandstone blocks and I immediately got the idea of a sundial. "It took six months to design the piece and a lot of maths to get the correct angle which would mark the time precisely."Coun Kevin Welsh, of Stalybridge District Assembly, said: "This new piece of public art is a bold statement and will become a major landmark in the town."External funding has paid for the work along with a contribution from Stalybridge District Assembly. When complete, the lock gates will be floodlit at night and set in a newly resurfaced area of York sandstone paving. Manchester Evening News