In just a few weeks, the clocks will “spring forward”, marking the beginning of the end of dark winter evenings as we approach the summer months. After what may have felt like an endless winter, many are eagerly anticipating the extra evening daylight.
In the UK, the clocks jump forward by an hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March, which this year falls on Sunday, March 30, and signals the start of British Summer Time (BST). For those curious, the clocks revert to standard time on the last Sunday in October.
Immediately following the clock change, some areas of the UK will enjoy sunsets after 8pm, such as County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. However, for London, it will take around another 17 days, until April 17, for a post-8pm sunset to occur.
In Edinburgh, this will happen around April 5, while Cardiff can expect it on April 9, and Birmingham around April 11, based on forecasts.
Why do the clocks go forward in the UK?
The practice of starting BST by moving the clocks forward in spring dates back to its introduction in 1916. The initial concept of making better use of daylight was first floated by American inventor Benjamin Franklin in 1784 and later explored in a pamphlet titled “The Waste of Daylight” by British author William Willett in 1907.
In 1916, just a year following Willett’s passing, Germany was the first nation to implement daylight saving time. Shortly after, the UK followed suit, along with numerous other countries engaged in the First World War (1914-1918), as per the Royal Museums Greenwich.