It was a crystal glass globe which recorded the length of sunlight in a day, it burnt a trail into a blue card. It used to fascinate me on odd lunch breaks to watch the line being burnt. Oh yes, our offices were here in Lloyds Bank Chambers. Not bad considering Frederick D designed the alterations for Lloyds Bank.
Yes, as a boy scout doing the weatherman s badge (?) or similar, I remember the old caretaker who used to keep the daily records for Penzance, taking me up and showing me the crystal ball on this table and the card calibrated with the hours which the focussed sun blackened. He also wrote up the rainfall, barometric pressure and wind direction on a monthly form behind glass outside the Library too. I felt very privileged accompanying him. Why do we have no records for Penzance in the newspapers nowadays?
