Fw: historical question about Great Tom, St. Paul's

[David Bryant]

Can anyone help with this?

David

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Zemka at QspMYeaOtmUjc5Njl59Rwg7ZOvKmyFOxZTCza2EYJtooQcjtToqE2o3mHxaGQae6Z32U5tqNdo48tQ.yahoo.invalid>
To: <webmaster at YZ1ZRIjjGYRxXgHYEK_36WlDoU2TTmPAU3jqm2YuVdh8VJH1gEV8IOehHbDomelWJ73Vi0_Mv1kLTPkCvGn8hNlsR7Fz.yahoo.invalid>
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 6:19 PM
Subject: historical question about Great Tom, St. Paul's


>
>
> Dear Webmaster,
>
> I am writing a book on the changing social perception of time in the 19th
c,
> primarily in England. I am a literary historian, so my focus is on
depictions
> of timekeeping in the novels of the period.
>
> I am trying to find out some information about 19th c public access to the
bell
> tower that housed Great Tom. I know that tourists were allowed into the
bell
> tower, but I would like to know any further details, such as: when did the
> practice of allowing the public to visit the bell tower begin? was it a
popular
> thing to do? dangerous? controversial? was access limited?
>
> Anything you can tell me on this topic would be greatly appreciated, or
maybe
> you know of some other sources you can point me to.
>
> Dickens reports making a visit to see the great bell at St Paul's in 1841.
I am
> trying to fill out some historical context for such a visit.
>
> Thanks very much for your time,
>
> Sue Zemka
> Associate Professor, English
> University of Colorado, Boulder
>