Crimean War Sundial from Kinburn Fort

Description

This horizontal sundial & stone pillar, an extraordinary artifact of the Crimean War, originated from the 10-Gun Battery at Kinburn Fortress. As the inscription reveals, the sundial was taken following capture of Kinburn Fort, the first Allied occupation of Russian territory in the War of 1854–55, and was likely removed in the days immediately following the battle.n nThis sundial represents one of the last privately held artefacts & parts from the Kinburn Fortress, which remained under Allied control for the following year before being abandoned. The fortress, destroyed after the battle, has become a site of both historical and contemporary significance, now lying within a contested area in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.n nKinburn Fortress:nThe Kinburn Fortress was located on the Kinburn Spit, a long low-lying sandy spit, at the extreme western end of the Kinburn Peninsula, at the entrance of Dnieper River. It comprised three separate fortifications:nThe primary fort, a stone-built, square structure with bastions, mounted 50 guns. Some of these were installed in protective casemates, while others were mounted en barbette, firing over the parapets.nTwo earthwork batteries, located west of the fort further down the spit, which mounted from reports between (10-12) and (11-20) guns.nThe fortress was destroyed and burned down following the battle. Today, only ruins and a memorial statue remains at the site, which is now a contested area in the current Russia-Ukraine war.n nBattle of Kinburn (1855)nThe Battle of Kinburn was one of the final campaigns of the Crimean War in the black sea. Taking place on the 17th of October 1855, it was a combined land-naval operation that marked the first successful use of ironclad warships in combat. French and British forces, supported by an Anglo-French fleet, decisively bombarded and overwhelmed the fortress in just three hours.nThis engagement marked the first capture of Russian territory by the Allies during the war. With the fortress under Allied occupation for the following year, the sundial—marked