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<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, Andrew, you certainl=
y had=20
something to cheer you up after the CC !</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>The thing is that there ar=
e far more=20
Victorian Town Halls etc in the north than in the south, and with the=20
industrial progress of Lancs and Yorks, it follows that a large number=
of=20
Town Hall bells are to be found there (where they never existed before,=20
unlike many in the south) with some pretty impressive sized bells.&nbs=
p;=20
Not only the Victorians: the two other municipal carillons, Newcastle and=20
Spalding being 20th-century and in their present form quite recent. =20
Manchester (1937) of course got lucky in that the old installation (10 + 10=
+=20
Great Abel) was massively heavy; and it remains the only carillon where ove=
r=20
half the bells are hung for ringing and all therefore have to take account =
of=20
those cast to ringing weights. It can be done.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>Bradford TH (13, 87) are a=
n=20
impressive lot as must have been the old Rochdale chime destroyed by f=
ire=20
(15, 50). &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp; =20
In the Midlands "Little John" and its quarter bells knock everything into t=
he=20
shade; the Taylor "Big Joe" chime at Birmingham Uni is less impressive than=
it=20
should be, probably because of the height of the tower, but the Gillett &am=
p; Co=20
"Big Brum" set in the Art Gallery, despite its date and the wooden in=
serts=20
in the hammers will sound quite grand when they've sorted out the 3rd=
=20
quarter timing. You would not think that Leicester (5, 21) bells were=
cast=20
of the same metal or in the same country; they must rank as one of the most=
=20
truly awful sets of bells anywhere, and they don't even switch off at=20
night.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>Going further south, =
Luton are=20
in my view very, very good, and worth a visit. South of London, Reading TH=
's=20
Gillett, Bland & Co chime of 9 I recall as particularly unpleasant;=20
Portsmouth City Hall (not the Guildhall) which are Mears for Benson have an=
=20
amazing history of survival and are none the worse for that. There's =
an=20
odd little set-up in Margate, where the Jubilee clock tower has a panny 3-c=
wt=20
set of G&J Cambridge Quarters of 1908 (replacing hemispherical bells),=
=20
whilst the shopping centre just up the road has two sets of Mears for G&=
;J=20
bells cast a few years ago and supposedly synchronized with each other=
(but=20
not the Jubilee clock tower). Details on Dickon's Kent site. All=
very=20
odd.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>Apart from that down south=
, the=20
biggest Civic installation is I think Southampton, which are a Gillett 8 pl=
us a=20
67-cwt hour bell.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>Just a few random thoughts=
after=20
reading Andrew's interesting posting and lists. Everyone else in Leic=
ester=20
is at the England match.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=3D#0000ff face=3DArial size=3D2>DLC </FO=
NT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p=
x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>Fro=
m:</B>=20
<A href=3D"mailto:aaspland@y..." title=3Daaspland@y...>Andr=
ew=20
Aspland</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com"=20
title=3Dbellhistorians@yahoogroups.com>bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</A>=
; <A=20
href=3D"mailto:mike@m..."=20
title=3Dmike@m...>mike@m...</A> </D=
IV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, June 03, 2003 6:46=
=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Bell Historians] Clock C=
himes -=20
information and requests for details</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><TT>Hello everyone,<BR><BR>Arrived back from the central=20
council - about to unlock my front door - when<BR>a very nice set of Camb=
ridge=20
quarters sounded the hour. Had they taken all<BR>the sound control out fr=
om=20
Holy Trinity Ossett? No but the clock chime in<BR>the town hall are=
=20
restored to working order after a silence of well over ten<BR>years. =
;=20
They were cast by Taylors in 1908 with a tenor of 8cwt in A (rest<BR>are=
=20
(going up the scale) B, E, F#, G#). Does anyone have accurate weights<BR>=
and=20
diameters?<BR><BR>They are not yet in the Chimes spreadsheet (at least no=
t=20
under Clock<BR>Chimes).<BR><BR>Also:<BR>Dewsbury, W Yorks, Town Hall, 5, =
35cwt=20
in D Pre-True-Harmonic Taylors<BR>Batley, W Yorks, Library, 5, 30cw=
t=20
Quarter Bells Taylors 1906<BR>Huddersfield, W Yorks, Co-operative Society=
, 4,=20
9cwt in A Taylors 1904<BR>Lindley, W Yorks, Clock Tower, 4, 16cwt in F Ta=
ylors=20
1902<BR>Cleckheaton, W Yorks, Town Hall, 5, 21cwt Pre-True-Harmonic=20
Taylors<BR>Hartforth Hall, North Yorks, 5, 6cwt<BR>Keighley Institute, W=
=20
Yorks, 5, 25cwt Pre-True-Harmonic Taylors - ARE THESE<BR>STILL=20
THERE?<BR>Middlesborough, Cleveland, Town Hall 5, 47cwt Pre-True-Harmonic=
=20
Taylors -<BR>ARE THESE STILL THERE?<BR>Thornaby, Cleveland, Town Hall, 5,=
8cwt=20
Taylors 1908 - ARE THESE STILL<BR>THERE?<BR><BR>Morley, West Yorks, Town =
Hall=20
5????<BR>Dewsbury, West Yorks, Co-Op 5????<BR><BR>Is this Town Hall thing=
just=20
a West Riding phenomenon? I suspect Lancashire<BR>has a few - Manchester =
being=20
the apotheosis.<BR><BR>Any details of the bells=20
appreciated.<BR>Andrew<BR><BR></TT><BR><BR><TT>This=20
message was sent to you via the Bell Historians' Mailing List. To unsubsc=
ribe=20
from the list send an email to=20
bellhistorians-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com<BR><BR></TT><BR><BR><TT>Your u=
se of=20
Yahoo! Groups is subject to the <A=20
href=3D"http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">Yahoo! Terms of Service</A>.</=
TT>=20
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