 A large sundial , set up on the orders of James I , stood in the middle of the garden from 1624 . The dial was designed by Edmund Gunter , professor of astronomy at Gresham College . It consisted of a large stone pedestal with four dials at the four corners and " the great horizontal concave " in the centre , with east , west , north and south dials at the sides . It was subsequently vandalised , allegedly by an intoxicated courtier , and fell into ruin in Charles II 's reign . Andrew Marvell lamented that 
