TRIVIA: Churches, Town Halls and other buildings with musical bells (in the UK or elsewhere)

[AY1975]

Yesterday and today I heard the bells of Sheffield Town Hall playing Christmas carols: It Came Upon the Midnight Clear at 3pm today and Hark the Herald Angels Sing at 1pm yesterday. That's the first time I've heard the Sheffield Town Hall bells playing tunes, although that's not to say they haven't done so before.

Offhand the only other example of bells playing tunes that I know of in the UK is St John's Catholic church in Rochdale, which has bells that play hymn tunes every hour (or they used to do so). It's right next to Rochdale station (and immediately adjacent to the Rochdale station tram stop) so you can sometimes hear them while you are waiting for a train or tram.

Musical church bells are quite common in parts of mainland Europe. For example the Domkerk church in Utrecht, Netherlands, has musical bells, and they regularly have church bell concerts there. Here is a concert of ABBA songs on the Domkerk bells:

Does anyone know of any other examples of churches, Town Halls or other buildings with bells that play tunes either regularly or for certain special occasions, in the UK or elsewhere?

 

[Islineclear3_1]

Sounds like the local bell ringers wanted to expand on their repertoire

I don't know if this is common practice in the UK - not for church bells anyway....

 

[John Webb]

Loughborough has a carillion which plays tunes (click on photo to go to the larger original on the Geograph website):
Loughborough Carillon

© Copyright Thomas Nugent and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

It was built in 1923 as a war memorial with bells cast by John Taylor, a local bell-founding company.

'Change-ringing' where bells are rung in mathematical progressions is almost a unique British system. The bells are hung on wheels which turn the whole bell through 360degrees. Bells on which tunes are played are usually played by 'chiming' the bell either by hitting it with an external hammer (as 'Big Ben' and it's associated bells are rung) or using the internal 'clapper'. The two systems are very difficult to combine - the 'chiming' mechanism has to be moved out of the way, in essence, before 'change ringing' can be done. So most carillions were made as such and are more often found in public buildings worked automatically by clocks or the like than in churches.

 

[WAB]

York Minster.

 

[Lloyds siding]

As usual, a list of carillions in the UK can be found in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carillons_of_the_British_Isles
However, it seems that Sheffield Town Hall does not have a carillion of 'real' bells but instead has an 'electronic bell' device that was installed in 2002. It now plays carols every Christmas.

 

[ChrisC]

As usual, a list of carillions in the UK can be found in Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carillons_of_the_British_Isles
However, it seems that Sheffield Town Hall does not have a carillion of 'real' bells but instead has an 'electronic bell' device that was installed in 2002. It now plays carols every Christmas.

One not listed is at Little Walsingham in Norfolk. The carillon at the Anglican Shrine Church in Walsingham can sometimes be heard playing hymn tunes before services and often for around half an hour mid afternoon during the summer.

 

[DerekC]

Another not listed is the chiming clock on the church of St Mary's, Beaminster, Dorset. It plays the hymn tune "Hanover" (Oh Worship the King, All Glorious Above ...") every three hours during the day. The mechanism looks just like a giant musical box!

 

[181]

There's one in Evesham: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evesham_Bell_Tower.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_carillons aims to list them worldwide (but doesn't claim completeness).

 

[Doctor Fegg]

Hinckley has one, immortalised in an organ piece by Louis Vierne.

 

[AM9]

St Alban's abbey has a programmable bell ringer, sometimes used to commemorate special occasions. Probably the most well known instance was on 27th July 2012 when the on the mass ringing of bells across the UK at 08:12 here it was to the tune of 'Chariots Of Fire' by Vangelis. I've got a recording of it somewhere, if I find it I'll post it here.

 

[deltic]

St Clement Danes on the Strand London plays Oranges and Lemons at 12 noon every day

 

[Marton]

Bradford Town Hall. In the days of the wool market the carillon played Baa Baa Black-sheep on market days.

 

[Stuwhu]

I went to watch the non league side Cadbury Athletic play recently in Bournville to an accompaniment of ABBA songs from the nearby Carillion and also the aroma of Chocolate. A treat for the senses.

 

[52290]

As a change ringer I know that a number of towers with bells hung for change ringing also have an Ellacombe "keyboard" for playing tunes on the bells when they are in the "down" position, although they are limited by rings of bells being tuned to a diatonic scale rather than a chromatic scale, that is without black notes on a piano.
There are a number of secular buildings that have bells hung for change ringing, Manchester and Berwick-on-Tweed town halls come to mind. It can confuse people if these are ever rung on a Sunday!

 

[REVUpminster]

All Saints Church Brixham has Abide With Me on a piano roll ringing the bells. It was written there by the vicar Henry Francis Lyte.