In celebration of the year 2000 the design draws a physical and spiritual ink between Holy Trinity Church and Portsmouth Harbour. The birth of Christ and the start of the measurement of modern time is symbolised by the line leading from the Timespace to the church and the year 2000 by a line leading from the space to the Harbour.

The design takes as inspiration Albert Einstein's theory of relativity and his space-time cone diagram is represented within the paving. At the central 'here and now point' is a mast which casts the shadow for the sundial. The shadow of the cones fixed through the mast marks the sun time. When the sun crosses the meridian, the line of true north marked on the paving surface, a small circle of light through the cones indicates not only the time but also the date.

The entrance to the Timespace from the Millennium Promenade is via a sculptural millennium gateway of 9m clear span steel work infilled with blue toughened glass. The gateway houses a digital clock linked to LED coloured lighting within the paving surface which marks the hours, five minute and five second intervals. The clock is linked to an acoustic system built into the lower seating terrace which enables the clock to chime. The gateway also houses a remote PA system fitted with an induction loop for hearing aid users, a CD and tape player.

The surfacing of the Timespace consists of textured coloured concrete carefully chosen to associate with the coloured mosaics on the two adjacent landmark tower blocks, Harbour and Seaward Towers and a new mosaic around the perimeter of the space between the symbolic date lines depicts events and characters through Gosport's history over the past 2000 years.

The tower block mosaics, central mast and millennium gateway are illuminated at night providing a dramatic backdrop for the harbour, visible from Portsmouth and out into the Solent. hide this.

The first was put up in 1642 and was in the same position as the present one. Records exist that show the dial in the Bursars accounts for that year. It is thought that the present dial was not painted until after Sir Isaac Newton's death in 1727, so although it is associated with him, it could not have been designed by him. The dial is positioned directly under a clock (1733) and would undoubtedly have been used to set the clock in the days before the Greenwich Time Signal. The dial has been re-painted several times over the centuries, more recently in 1911 and in 1948. The style also has a small ball nodus of a unique design which makes possible the many features of the dial. hide this.