Sandringham time

Sandringham time is the name given to the idiosyncratic alterations that King Edward VII made to the timekeeping at the royal estate of Sandringham. This time corresponds to UTC+0:30, and was used between 1901 and 1936.

Contrary to rumour, it was not begun to assist Queen Alexandra, who was constantly late,[1] but to "create" more evening daylight for hunting in the winter.[2]

The King ordered that all the clocks on the estate be set half an hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time. In later years the practice was also observed at Windsor and Balmoral Castle.[3] The custom of Sandringham time continued after the death of Edward, through the reign of his son George V. However, because of the confusions that the time difference caused, which were heightened during George's final hours, Edward VIII abolished the tradition during his brief reign.[4] Neither George VI nor Elizabeth II chose to restore the tradition.

References

  1. ↑ Vickers, Hugo, Elizabeth: The Queen Mother (Arrow Books/Random House, 2006) p.129
  2. ↑ "Summer Time Pioneer". Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail. British Newspaper Archive. 24 December 1932. Retrieved 9 September 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ David Prerau (2005). Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press. ISBN 1-56025-655-9. The British version, focusing on the UK, is Saving the Daylight: Why We Put the Clocks Forward. Granta Books. ISBN 1-86207-796-7.
  4. ↑ "Great Activity at Sandringham". Aberdeen Journal. British Newspaper Archive. 24 December 1936. Retrieved 9 September 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required (help)).


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