[Bell Historians] Portsmouth Guildhall Clock Chime

[David Cawley]

George Dawson has correctly reported what is still in the Tower. They were originally hung in a timber frame, and although cast by Mears & Stainbank bear the clockmaker's name, J. W. Benson. The hour bell is called "Victoria". Between the wars the woden frame was replaced by a new steel one and equipped with steel headstocks, all of which which I think was not the work of a bellhanger; had it not been done the bells would most certainly have crashed to the ground in the bombing of the Guildhall. Amazingly (and unlike Preston where all the bells were cracked or broken) the whole ensemble survived in place. I remember as a boy seeing the bombed-out building and noting the gutted clock dials. The bells were subsequently rehung in the restored steel frame on the renovated steel stocks, with new insulation pads and clock hammers, by Mears. A new clock was provided. Unfortunately with the passing of time, the atmosphere has not been kind to the steelwork of the bellframe and fittings and to the massive iron grilles which fill the bell chamber windows.
It is quite true that a proposal has been made to replace the bells with a cheap synthetic substitute. This would be unworthy of Portsmouth, more especially as the motivation for the bells was Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, which took place whilst the present Guildhall (or rather Civic Centre as it now is) was being built. Even more remarkable is their survival, virtually intact, despite the intense and terrible bombing of the city in WW2, complete with the Guildhall's reduction to a shell. The five bells (which are, in fact, of impressive tone themselves) were virtually the only fittings to pass through the burning (virtually) unscathed.
The clock hammers are in bad order which probably accounts for the uncertain sounds proceeding from the tower.

I know that Taylors Eayre & Smith have recently updated the JT quotation of seven years ago, and I am told that The Whitechapel Foundry have likewise quoted. 

Let's hope that the newspaper campaign is successful and that the Tories get in and keep their promise about the bells!

And that the heritage of Portsmouth is safesguarded and conserved in use.

DLC 
  
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Robert Lewis 
  To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 5:23 PM
  Subject: [Bell Historians] Portsmouth Guildhall Clock Chime


  There have been local tv news reports that the busted clock chime at 
  Portsmouth Guildhall is to be replaced by "an electronic one" (on cost 
  grounds).

  They have played a recording of the old chime - Westminster. Does anyone 
  know what is currently in the tower (sounds like they may be tubular bells 
  or gongs)?

  RAL



              
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ringingworld.co.uk/pipermail/bell-historians/attachments/20070222/f7ea1130/attachment.html>