Belgian bells

[George Dawson]

It would not surprise me if the Greymouth bell was at St Patricks cathedral
there.

When I was in NZ in 2005 I noted, as seen through my binoculars:

Large bell, 6 decorated canons, Highly decorated, on the waist a panel with
Maria.

 

Having seen Causard bell photos (in the Taylor archives) highly decorated
can be an understatement!

 

G

 

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Chris Pickford
Sent: 26 June 2011 14:55
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [Bell Historians] Belgian bells

 

  

Thanks to a Belgian contact, I have managed to find out about the four bells
in the earthquake-damaged RC cathedral at Christchurch, New Zealand.
Basically, the four bells were cast by A. Causard at Tellin, Belgium, in
1904. The great bell weighs 2100kg (41 cwt) and the total weight of the peal
is 3660kgs (72 cwt). There is a fact-sheet about the bells on the Cathedral
website at
http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/dox/earthquake/Catholic%20Cathedral%20-%20Be
lls%20Factsheet.pdf and a photograph of the four bells before their
installation too - on http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=207. The
fact-sheet also says (I quote) "The Cathedral peal comprises the Great Bell,
the Gloria Bell, the Altiora Bell and the De Profundis Bell. Re sharp, Sol
sharp, La sharp and Do. The combination of the bells give the harmonies of
Major 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th". 

    Apparently the suppliers advised that the bells should be hung as a
swinging peal. The cathedral architect, however, insisted that the bells
were fixed and not swung.

    To follow up on Michael White's recent query in the RW, I have sent a
letter to pass on this information

 

    Of more general interest to bell historians, though, is the additional
information in the Causard catalogues that the firm also cast a bell of
950kg (18.5 cwt) for Greymouth, New Zealand, at about the same date (the
catalogue only says "since 1895" and the publication date was around 1914)

    Causard also claimed to have supplied three bells for Manchester. the
biggest 600kg (11.75 cwt) during the same period

    Another Belgian founder, O. Michael (successor to A. Beullens of
Louvain) published a catalogue mentioning two bells his firm had supplied
for London, one of 1300kg (25 cwt) for M. Moore, and another or 200kg (4
cwt) for > Stephen Lech 

 

    A few unusual bells to try and locate!

 

Chris Pickford
4 Walmsley Court, High Street, Kinver, DY7 6HG
Tel: 01384 878435 or (mobile) 07811 453525
E-mail: c.j.pickford at DFRMEgYe-G6JkKEBOSwwC6qbnEIGA_3dctWAviLvBKVKe011XC2FV0t64_GsOu0I789brNLIyh0e54tHNruVQfqD.yahoo.invalid or (interchangeably)
c.j.pickford.t21 at PjY31AXEOmxGGbua7gKwd73Ub0tLyDS5WLIbiypZi4dm9L3M6nmCnQSY2qPrcVMDqaWHo_c-lHNwHUK8YenHCtdj0wfGCwBe.yahoo.invalid



           
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