Martin Suggett Sundial
Alan Smith and the sundial
We are gathered here to commemorate the memory of one of our former members of Staff, Martin Kenneth Suggett. A project such as this has involved many people from all roles within the museum and outside. Before I get down to the business of thanking everyone for their dedication and perseverance for seeing this project through I will say a few words about Martin, as I realise that there are many members of Staff present who probably never knew him as a person. To many of us, Martin was the finest colleague one could have wished for, a close personal friend and, above all, the perfect family man, and it is particularly delightful to see that so many of Martin’s family and friends are with us today.
Martin originally developed his passion for scientific instruments and the history of scientific ideas at the Science Museum in London. The richness of the collections and professional contacts within the museum world and wider academic community enabled him to develop a fine sense of judgement when assessing the provenance and history of a particular instrument. To Martin, a scientific instrument was a means to an end. The object had an intrinsic beauty and purpose all of its own but, more importantly, the story of the instrument maker and the use to which the instrument was put was of greater importance. Martin always revelled in revealing the stories behind the objects in his care and their role in furthering the scientific legacy that we enjoy today. As a curator, Martin never forgot the all-important links between curators, collectors and dealers and he made many friends, colleagues and professional contacts in many varied walks of life.
Alan Smith working on the letters
During his training, Martin became particularly fascinated by sundials and, to him, they were objects of tremendous aesthetic appeal, intellectual puzzles and provided a link between the ways in which we order our lives through the ages, a reminder of the diurnal rotation of the Earth and its passage around the Sun. For him, a sundial provided a perfect link between the complexities of time and the wider questions concerning why we were are here and the extent of the Universe. Martin also considered sundials to be a witness to a time in which life moved more slowly, was not so complicated and encouraged an atmosphere of peace. He was particularly intrigued by the concept of unequal hours found on early sundials. Here, allowances were made for the changing effects of the seasons with a ‘modern hour’ being one and a half hours long in summer and only 45 minutes length in winter.
Martin was appointed Curator of Physical Sciences at Liverpool Museum in 1980 where, among other duties, he was responsible for running the planetarium. This was to prove the perfect vehicle for his outstanding communication abilities and it was not unusual to see him demonstrating the subtleties of using scientific instruments within the planetarium setting, particularly with undergraduate and evening class audiences. In 1993 he was responsible for the redisplay of the Space, Time and Matter gallery at Liverpool Museum bringing some of the Physical Sciences collections out into public view for the first time.
Martin’s consuming passion at the Museum was Astronomy and he took every opportunity to demonstrate the links between astronomers and their work. He was fortunate, in moving to Liverpool, that he found himself in a region rich in astronomical heritage. In 1995, a part of that heritage was resurrected by constructing a full-size working replica of William Lassell’s 24" reflector and it was temporarily placed on the original site of William Lassell’s observatory, Starfield, now St Michael’s School Playground. Martin had a wonderful time involving the whole school in the project whilst the telescope was being erected in time for the 150th anniversary of the discovery of Neptune and its largest moon Trition; discovered by Lassell in 1845.
Martin also had close ties with the Astrophysics Research Institute at LJMU and was involved in the early planning and discussions during the development of the Liverpool Robotic Telescope, now sited on La Palma in the Canary Isles. This is an operating partnership between Liverpool John Moores University, Telescope Technologies Limited and the National Museums Liverpool. One of the unique features of this instrument is the time allocation for Public Understanding of Science usage and Martin was very keen to exploit and develop this in the Museum’s Planetarium.
In the museum, Martin saw the visitor perspective at all times and regarded this of paramount importance. He was also ready to use any subtle nuance of interpretation to get the messages of Science across to the widest possible audience. One of the enduring characteristics of Martin was his ability to understand the continuum of ideas and his training as a scientific historian still came into play, even when discussing the latest ideas in physics and astronomy.
Martin was a consummate educator, as well as curator, and sought to enhance the teaching and displaying of science, particularly astronomy and its related instrumentation. He played a major role in introducing Astronomy to the National Curriculum at all Key stage levels and, in collaboration with Dr Anne Cohen, produced the Teachers Packs for Astromomy, which enjoyed national distribution.
He was widely respected by local universities for his erudition and ability to communicate complex scientific principles at an understandable level and was frequently to be heard on local radio commenting on the latest scientific issues.
Now I must get down to thanking those responsible for the project. It is perhaps invidious to single out individuals as so many people have contributed. You are all stars in this enterprise. First, I must thank Professor Alan Smith for the wonderful job he has done in creating a dial of beauty, grace, architectural elegance and practical utility. All of these characteristics Martin would have particularly applauded. Special thanks must also go to Martin’s family Janine, Melanie, Eleanor and Charlotte plus Martin’s brother Gavin and his wife, for their encouragement and support. The Museum Friends for their support, members of the Liverpool Astronomical Society, particularly Carol and Gerard Gilligan, Martin Hemmings for his technical knowledge and support, Theresa Doyle for her work on the plaque, John Millard and the Executive Team of the Museum for their enthusiastic encouragement. Finally, a very big thank you to all of Martin’s friends and colleagues who have donated so generously to make this memorial possible.
Finally, we must thank Henk and Ray for being the driving force behind this project and once again to Professor Alan Smith for providing us with such a magnificent dial. It truly is a most elegant and fitting memorial.