Astronomy, Community, and Modern Calendar Buildings

摘要

This paper will look at Avon Tyrrell House, a "calendar house" dating from 1891 and an example of nineteenth-century astronomical architecture in England. The paper will suggest that "calendar buildings" may represent a genre of modern astronomical architecture which has, so far, not been studied, were designed to create stronger communities precisely because of their astronomical connections, and indicates scope for further investigation. The paper will contextualize the modern "calendar building" within the tradition of constructing cities and sacred sites as reflections or embodiments of the sky. By creating spaces which were connected to the celestial bodies, it was possible to create human communities which were linked to celestial ones, encouraging social stability and harmony. Such ideas underpinned traditions of the foundation of cities from China, through India, the Middle East, and Mesoamerica.