Riverside

[Andrew Wilby]

You may be interested in a recent report of a visit made on behalf of 
John Taylor & Co to Riverside.

<The contract at Riverside was carried out by a company called “Olympic 
Carillons” which is owned by Timothy Hurd and his brother based in 
Wellington New Zealand. They subcontracted the recasting of the Van 
Bergen bells to Whitechapel - I think at least 37 of the smallest bells 
some as small as 10 lbs – the story goes that both Van Bergen and Hurd 
recast all the G & J bells they could get down in the lift – biggest 
about 14 cwts I think.

As I understand it Timothy Hurd provided the bell profiles – his version 
of G & J/ based on G & J.

Originally the instrument had power assist mechanisms on the largest 
bells but this was removed in the 1999 remodelling and the largest bells 
are almost impossible to sound without a fully grown man standing up and 
pressing with full might on the pedals – obviously impossible in a 
recital. The original Bass bell is not therefore the effective Bass bell 
of the present instrument.>

Andrew