A History of the University Carillon
Uncovering for whom the bells toll.
April 18, 2021
The University Carillon the bells in the Quadrangle regularly rings out over campus, but few pay it much heed and fewer still know its history. Beyond the chiming of its bells lies a remarkable and contentious past which involved some of New South Wales’ most influential figures, and brought a Vice-Chancellor to the brink of resignation.
One of the most distinctive features of campus life is, in fact, a monument to the dead. The University Carillon is, formally, the University War Memorial Carillon a memorial to the students, staff and alumni of the University who fought and died in the First World War. The outbreak of the war enraptured the newly federated Australia, with tens of thousands rushing to enlist. The University was no different, with some 1,800 students and graduates enlisting, 197 of whom would be killed over the course of the war. At a time when active annual enrolments
Covid-19: Bell of hope planned to honour virus response
Published
image captionQueen s Park has been suggested as a possible location for the bell
A foundry which crafted a carillon to remember those who died in World War One is hoping to forge a new bell for Covid-19 victims and key workers.
Under the plans John Taylor & Co, Britain s last such foundry, would make a Hope Bell for Loughborough, Leicestershire, its base since 1839.
The bell, part of a plan by the Loughborough Town Deal, would cost about £150,000 to install.
If approved, the tribute could be ready next year.
image copyrightCharnwood Borough Council
Britain’s last remaining bellfoundry saved with £3.45m National Lottery funding
The last remaining major bellfoundry in Britain has been saved just in time for Christmas, thanks to £3.45m from the National Lottery.
Since 1859, the iconic Loughborough Bellfoundry, home to John Taylor & Co bellfounders, has cast more than 25,000 bells that are hung in over 100 countries, in churches, cathedrals, universities and public buildings. 20 million people in Britain, and hundreds of millions worldwide, hear a bell cast at the Loughborough Bellfoundry every day.
Bells from the foundry have even entered popular culture – the bells from St Thomas’s Church, in Fifth Avenue, New York, which can be heard on The Pogues and Kirsty McColl’s Christmas anthem Fairytale of New York, were cast at the site.
Britain’s last remaining bellfoundry saved with £3.45m National Lottery funding
The last remaining major bellfoundry in Britain has been saved just in time for Christmas, thanks to £3.45m from the National Lottery.
Since 1859, the iconic Loughborough Bellfoundry, home to John Taylor & Co bellfounders, has cast more than 25,000 bells that are hung in over 100 countries, in churches, cathedrals, universities and public buildings. 20 million people in Britain, and hundreds of millions worldwide, hear a bell cast at the Loughborough Bellfoundry every day.
Bells from the foundry have even entered popular culture – the bells from St Thomas’s Church, in Fifth Avenue, New York, which can be heard on The Pogues and Kirsty McColl’s Christmas anthem Fairytale of New York, were cast at the site.
THE time of the year is fast approaching for a bit of happy clappering and what better place to visit for a seasonal ding dong than the bell tower of Worcester Cathedral, where they have been doing it merrily on high since 1374. Of all the Yuletide images, along with an old bloke in a red coat landing a team of reindeer on your roof, a snowman with a carrot for a nose in the garden and a maiden aunt tipsy on the sherry, nothing evokes the spirit of Christmas more than the village church bells ringing out as snowflakes fall gently in the dark on Christmas Eve.