Great Bells of the British Isles
Here are listed all 36 existing and former
great bells of the British Isles,
in descending order by weight.
The list includes three bass bells of carillons,
as well as five bells which are (or were) in or associated with chimes.
There are 37 entries because one bell not only was moved but also shrank in the process!
Not listed are at least two medieval bells (since replaced) for which
insufficient documentation is available to support proper placement in the list.
They are mentioned in the remarks about the bells which replaced them.
Following the list are some References to related
information about the data found here.
NOTE: A companion page lists these bells
(and a few others) in order by year of casting,
and shows which ones set a new record for "largest cast in England to date".
Key:
nr.
City, County, Country - EquivalentWeight lbs
- "name", pitch, reported weight, maker, year
- Institution name and address
- Remarks
- Links:
>
Bells in italics no longer exist.
1.
London, England - 37483 lbs
- "Great Paul", E-flat (317.1 Hz), 334-2-19, Taylor, 1881
- Southwest tower
St.Paul's Cathedral (Anglican)
City of London, E.C.4
- Originally hung for slow swinging by levers; rehung in 1891 with counterbalanced clapper
for slow swinging.
The southwest tower (to the right as you face the front of the building) also contains
the hour bell "Great Tom" (see #20 below) and two quarter bells.
The northwest tower contains a ring of 12 bells and a service bell.
- Links:
> Locator map from
MultiMap
> Views of the building from
PhotoGuide to London
> The Cathedral page
in Love's Guide depicts the building, and a linked page about the
southwest tower
pictures and describes not only Great Paul but also Great Tom (see #20 below).
> The sound of this bell is the subject of a
harmonic analysis
by Bill Hibbert, based on...
> Stephen Ivin's recording of this bell
(via Bill Hibbert)
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
2.
Westminster, London, England - 35666 lbs
- "Big Ben" (original), pitch?, 318-1-22, Warner, 1856
- Clock Tower
Houses of Parliament
- Cracked during testing, and was replaced the following year
by the present bell (see #4 below).
- Links:
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Warner bellfoundry.
3.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England - 33098 lbs
- "Great George", C#, 295-2-02, Taylor, 1940
- Cathedral Church of Christ (Anglican)
- Weight before tuning 333-3-10.
Dated 1937 (inscription) but actually cast on 23 July 1940.
Hangs in the center of the ring of 12 (see #35 below) in the central tower.
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> The Cathedral Website is well worth exploration
for the architecture of this stupendous building;
see the Gallery for two photos of the tower, which was completed in 1942.
Don't miss the section on a tower visit,
with microphotos and descriptions.
> An excellent long
article
from the BBC pictures and describes the major spaces in the tower.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
4.
Westminster, London, England - 30339 lbs
5.
York, Yorkshire, England - 24270 lbs
- "Great Peter" (present), E-flat, 216-2-22, Taylor, 1927
- Northwest tower
Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St. Peter
(York Minster)
- Replaces bell of 1845 (see #6 below) using the same frame.
Weight before tuning 245-0-9 (27449 lbs).
The largest manually-swung bell in the British Isles; swung for 5 minutes at noon daily.
Also serves as hour bell, accompanied by 6 clock bells (Taylor, 2000).
- Links:
> Locator maps from
MultiMap
and StreetMap
> On the York Minster Website, see the History page.
> There is also a subsidiary section
created in 2000 for the Bells Appeal to create a 6-bell clock chime to accompany Great Peter;
that section includes a recording of Great Peter along with the heavy octave of
the change-ringing bells in the southwest tower.
> The York ringers Website includes a
tower tour page which
pictures both the present and the former bell, as well as the clock chime.
Another tower tour page
recounts the history of all the bells in both towers,
including the 11-bell chime (Taylor, 1933) installed in the southwest tower in 1989.
> A tourist Website has
a photo of the Minster and its towers, and presents a fine tour of the city.
On the Minster Close page, click "11" to see Great Peter returning home after the 1927 recasting.
> A ringers guide page
has a clickable photo of the Minster.
> Bill Hibbert's recording of this bell
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell (possibly adapted from Bill Hibbert's)
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
6.
York, Yorkshire, England - ~24080(+/-56) lbs
- "Great Peter" (original), pitch?, 215 cwt, C & G Mears (Whitechapel), 1845
- Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of St. Peter
(York Minster)
- Was hung for full-circle ringing, with two wheels and four pulley-boxes; but proved to be unringable.
Replaced in 1927 (see #5 above)
Scrapping weight 200-0-14 (22414 lbs)
- Links:
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Whitechapel bellfoundry.
7.
Nottingham, Notts., England - 23211 lbs
- "Little John", E-flat, 207-0-27, Taylor, 1928
- Nottingham Council House (on the site of the former Exchange building)
Old Market Square
between Long Row and South Parade at King Street
Nottingham NG1 2DT
- Hour bell; the deepest-toned non-swinging clock bell in the British Isles.
Weight before tuning 224-0-12 (25100 lbs)
Accompanied by 4 bells for Cambridge (Westminster) quarters
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
(at the arrow icon)
> Locator map from
MultiMap
(at the circle icon)
> A city history page
has a small photo and description of the Council House near the bottom.
> A history of the Council House
mentions the bell.
> A tourist page
has a small color photo of the building at night (see under Old Market Square in the left column).
> A photo of the tower,
as viewed from St.Peters Chambers.
> A page about Nottingham buildings
has a photo and description.
> A city development page
has a panoramic photo banner at the top, with the Council House clearly visible.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
8.
Bristol, Avon, England - 21439 lbs
9.
Wigton, Cumbria, England - ~19712(+/-56) lbs
- "Joe o'Highmoor", G# (427Hz), 176 cwt, Taylor, 1884
- Highmoor Bell Tower
- Hour bell associated with a 9-bell automatic chime by van Aerschodt
which played a tune every three hours;
scrapped or lost in 1920 (though the tower, built on a private estate, apparently still stands).
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> A page
about Wigton gives a brief description of the tower and its bells;
unfortunately, no photo has yet been found online.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
10.
Manchester, Gtr.Man., England - 18231 lbs
11.
Buckfastleigh, Devon, England - 16706 lbs
- "Hosanna", F, 149-0-18, Taylor, 1936
- Abbey Church
Buckfast Abbey (St.Mary's, R.C.)
Buckfastleigh, Devon TQ11 0EE
- Bourdon accompanying a ring of 12 (+2 semitones) by Warner, 1907 and 1910
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> On the Abbey Website, see The Abbey Church.
> The Abbey's page about the bells has
an old photo of Hosanna in the center of bellframe surrounded by the peal bells.
> A PhotoGuide to Devon
offers several pictures of church and tower, all clickable for larger versions.
> A local ringers page about the abbey and its bells.
> The Castle
Photo Archive has a fine picture of the building.
> A photo Website offers a
picture which will fill the largest screen!
> A Wikipedia article has a large photo
of the Abbey church from another perspective.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
12.
Beverley, Humberside, England - 15765 lbs
- "Great John", G (395Hz), 140-3-01, Taylor, 1901
- Minster Church of St.John the Evangelist
(Beverley Minster)
Beverley, Yorkshire (East Riding)
- Hour bell, also hung for slow swinging, in the southwest tower,
replacing the Great Bell of 1900 (see #17 below);
a ring of 10 hangs in the northwest tower and is also used to chime the quarters.
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> The Minster Website has one exterior photo on the
History page, but there is no mention of bells except under Organisations.
> A photo
collection presents several b/w or color images,
all clickable for large (and sometimes super-large) versions.
> A ringing society page
mentions the bell and includes a clickable photo of the building.
> David Bryant's recording of this bell
(via Bill Hibbert)
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
13.
Manchester, Gtr.Man., England - ~14448(+/-56) lbs
- "Great Abel" (former), F#, 129 cwt, Taylor, 1876
- Town Hall
- Hour bell, replaced by a heavier bell six years later (see #10 above)
- Links:
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
14.
Oxford, Oxfordshire, England - 13944 lbs
- "Great Tom", A/A#, 124-2-0, Christopher Hodson, 1680
- Tom Tower (gatehouse)
Christ Church (College)
St.Aldates (Street)
Oxford University
- Recast from a large medieval bell formerly in Oseney Abbey; once reputed as 152 cwt.
Originally hung for ringing, but rarely (if ever) so sounded; rehung in 1953 with balanced fittings
for slow swinging.
Tom Tower was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1682.
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> The welcome page
for Christ Church Website has a photo of Tom Tower.
> On a virtual tour of Christ Church,
click the P in the center of Tom Quad for a good view of Tom Tower.
> An Oxford photo gallery
opens with a photo of Tom Tower at sunset, from inside the quad.
> An explanation of "Oxford Time" -
why Great Tom rings at 9:05pm GMT (101 times); hour strike 8am to 9pm.
> A tourist page
has two snippets with clickable photos of Tom Tower
> A personal photo collection
offers six clickable images of Tom Tower.
> A curious ancient ditty
about Great Tom and other bells of Christ Church.
> A guide to the Colleges of Oxford has more
interesting photography as well as the history of this fascinating place.
> Bill Hibbert's recording of Great Tom
striking five o'clock.
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell striking one o'clock (possibly a truncated version of Bill Hibbert's recording).
> (This being the only Hodson bell listed, there is no foundry index.)
15.
Birmingham, West Midlands, England - 13619 lbs
- "Big Joe" or "Big Brum", G (401Hz), 121-2-11, Taylor, 1908
- The Chamberlain Clock Tower
University Square
Birmingham University
- Hour bell
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> A University page
has a photo and brief description of the tower; see also the other three "Campus Pictures" pages.
> Another University page offers
several small photos of the tower from various perspectives.
> A page from Pevsner Architectural Guides
mentions architect I.Bell but not the bell in the tower.
> A good photo
of the tower.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
16.
Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, England - 13272 lbs
- "Major", A-flat, 118-2-0 (or 118-1-27), Taylor, 1891
- Cathedral Church of St.Nicholas
Mosley Street and St.Nicholas Street
- Hour bell; replaced 65 cwt bell of 1833 by James Harrison;
sixth largest bell in the country when it was cast.
Originally hung for ringing; rehung for slow swinging in 1990s by Taylor.
Also here is a ring of 12+1 (1892, 1914, 1999).
- Links:
> Locator maps from
MultiMap
and StreetMap
> The Cathedral Website
opens with an old drawing of the tower.
> The bells page mentions Major.
> Bill Hibbert's recording of this bell
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
(17).
Beverley, Humberside, England - 15765 lbs
- "Great Bell", G# (420.5Hz), 113-0-21, Taylor, 1900
- Minster Church of St.John the Evangelist
- Replacing a 35 cwt bell of 1703,
this bell, hung for slow swinging, was here for only a year before being removed
as it was in turn replaced by "Great John" (see #12 above);
a short time later this bell was sold to Downside Abbey (see #19 below).
18.
Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England - ~12096(+/-56) lbs
- "Great Tom", A, 5 tons 8 cwt, Thomas Mears (Whitechapel), 1835
- Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lincoln LN2 1PX
- Hour bell, in the central tower, accompanied by four clock bells (Taylor, 1880).
Recast from a 79-cwt bell of 1610.
Originally hung for ringing, but that was quickly abandoned because it shook the tower too much.
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> The Cathedral Website
has no information about the bells, except that the Gift Shop sells a history of them.
> The story
of the recasting; see also the adjacent chapters.
> A description
of the exterior of the building and the bells, from a 1928 book about the
cathedral; includes photos of the central tower.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Whitechapel bellfoundry.
19.
Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Bath, England - 11956 lbs
- "Great Bede", G, 106-3-0, Taylor, 1900
- The Abbey Church, or
Basilica of St.Gregory the Great (RC)
Downside Abbey
Stratton-on-the-Fosse, Bath, BA3 4RH
- Installed here in 1901 after its removal from Beverley Minster (see #17 above);
presumably the reduction in weight was caused by severe retuning.
One other much smaller bell accompanies it.
Each can be swung or tolled electrically, under manual or automatic control.
- Links:
> Locator maps from
StreetMap
and GoogleUK
> The Abbey Website
has a photo of the abbey church on the home page;
- see "Introduction" for a photo of the belfry;
- see "The Abbey Church" for a small historical photo of the bell
before it was installed in the belfry, plus an aerial view of the abbey church;
- see "Contact Us" for another photo of the tower;
- see "Where are we" for a photo of the belfry;
- see "Introduction" for a detailed local map.
> A regional map page
includes a photo of the church
> A Benedictine page about
this abbey includes a photo of the church.
> A local area Website includes two photos of the church:
#1,
#2.
> A photo inside
the belfry shows the bell dwarfed by the huge space.
> Bill Hibbert's recording of this bell
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell (possibly a copy of Hibbert's).
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
20.
London, England - 11474 lbs
- "Great Tom", A-flat, 102-1-22, Richard Phelps, 1716
- St.Paul's Cathedral
- Hour bell, hung dead in the southwest tower with Great Paul (see #1 above).
Recast from a bell of 1709 (see #22 below), presumably with additional new metal.
- Links:
> (See #1 above.)
> Bill Hibbert's recording of this bell
> John Ketteringham's recording
of this bell.
> (This being one of only two Phelps bells listed, there is no foundry index.)
21.
Manchester, Gtr.Man., England - ~11200(+/-56) lbs
- old no.20 bell, G#, 5 tons, Taylor, 1877
- Town Hall
- Second largest of the original chime bells
Scrapping weight (gross) in 1936 was 99-3-21 (11193 lbs);
the metal was used in casting the present automatic carillon.
- Links:
> (See #10 above.)
> Where this bell and the original chime lie in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
22.
London, England - ~10752(+/-56) lbs
- Former hour bell, pitch?, 96 cwt, Richard Phelps, 1710
- St.Paul's Cathedral
- Replaced a lighter bell of 1708 (see #32 below); recast in 1716 (see #20 above)
- Links:
> (For locator map(s), see #20 above.)
> (This being one of only two Phelps bells listed, there is no foundry index.)
23.
Preston, Lancashire?, England - ~10752(+/-56) lbs
- Former hour bell, B, 96 cwt, Taylor, 1866
- Town Hall
- Scrapping weight (gross) in 1926 (or 1927?) was 96-0-13 (10765 lbs);
replaced by a lighter bell (see #35 below).
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
24.
Ampleforth, Yorkshire, England - 10368 lbs
- "Gregory John", pitch?, 92-2-08, Mears & Stainbank (Whitechapel), 1961
- Ampleforth College and Abbey
York YO62 4ER
- Hung in the tower of the Abbey Church.
The Abbey shares the campus with the College (a Benedictine school).
- Links:
> Locator maps from
MultiMap
and StreetMap
> The Abbey Website has a dim and
pixellated photo of the building as a background for the home page.
> The College Website has
a tiny distant photo of the campus and church tower
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Whitechapel bellfoundry.
25.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England - 10254 lbs
- "Matthew", pitch?, 91-2-06, Mears & Stainbank (Whitechapel), 1966
- Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King (RC)
Mount Pleasant
Liverpool L3 5TQ
- The largest of four bells, each hung in a hole in the decorated slab of concrete which stands
over the Cathedral entrance; all are electrically swung or tolled.
- Links:
> Locator map from
MultiMap
> The Cathedral Website doesn't mention the bells at all.
Click Virtual Tour -> History to find the history of the building; though it doesn't mention the bells,
it does have at the bottom of the page a photo with a different perspective on the "bell slab".
> A tourist page
has a clickable photo of the in-the-round-with-crown building at the top of the page.
Further down there is a better one, which makes clear where the Cathedral's four bells are hung.
> The Cathedral page on the Archdiocesan Website
has a grainy photo of the front of the building.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Whitechapel bellfoundry.
26.
Aberdeen, Grampian, Scotland - 10078 lbs
- Bass bell, G#, 89-3-26, Gillett & Johnston, 1952
- St.Nicholas Church
- Bourdon of the 48-bell municipal carillon
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell and carillon lie in the total sequence of output of the
Gillett & Johnston bellfoundry.
27.
Bradford, West Yorkshire, England - 9751 lbs
- Hour bell, A, 87-0-07, Taylor, 1873
- Town Hall
- Bass bell of a chime of 13 bells
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell and chime lie in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
28.
London, England - ~9744(+/-56) lbs
- ~G, 87 cwt, Naylor Vickers, 1862
- (Italian) Church of St.Peter (RC)
Clerkenwell Road near Farringdon Road
Hatton Garden EC1N
- Steel bell, hung dead; weight with clapper 92-2-25 (10385 lbs).
Was on display at an exhibition in London before being purchased for the church, then under construction.
- Links:
> Locator map from
MultiMap
> Love's Guide has an excellent photo-illustrated
page about the bell.
> A Hatton Garden Heritage page
has an area map and a photo of church (though the tower barely visible).
> The sound of this bell is the subject of a
harmonic analysis
by Bill Hibbert, based on...
> A recording by Stephen Ivin
> John Ketteringham's
recording
of this bell.
> (There is not yet a foundry index page for Naylor Vickers.)
29.
St.Helens, Merseyside (Lancashire), England - 9464 lbs
- Bass bell, A, 84-2-20, Taylor, 1929
- St.Mary, Lowe House (RC Church)
- Bourdon of 48-bell carillon
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell and carillon lie in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
30.
Worcester, Worcestershire, England - 9292 lbs
- Hour bell, A, 82-3-24, Taylor, 1868
- Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican)
- Originally reported as 90 cwt; retuned in 1928.
Also here is a ring of 12 + 3 semitones.
The complete (and extensive) Latin inscription on this bell is reported in The Ringing World,
No.4962 (June 2, 2006), p.519.
- Links:
> Locator maps from
StreetMap and
MultiMap
> The Cathedral page on the diocesan Website
has a small photo of the building, but no mention of bells. There is a larger photo on all subordinate pages.
A City Road Map is available. Theree is mention that the tower is open to the public (admission fee charged).
A small photo of the ring (bells up) is on the Services page.
> A large photo of the building
> A building photo with
different perspective
> A local tour page has more photos
of the building (see the Gallery also).
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
31.
Loughborough, Leicestershire, England - 9284 lbs
- Bass bell, A, 82-3-16, Taylor, 1923
- Loughborough War Memorial
- Bourdon of a 47-bell carillon
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell and carillon lie in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
32.
London, England - 9251 lbs
- Former hour bell, pitch?, 82-2-11, Philip Wightman, 1708
- St.Paul Cathedral
- Recasting of a bell which had been moved here in 1698 from the clock tower at Westminster;
replaced in turn in 1710 (see #22 above). In the recasting, the inscription
on the old bell was reproduced, but there is no evidence of its date or maker.
- Links:
> (See #22 above.)
> (This being the only Wightman bell listed, there is no foundry index.)
33.
Bolton, Gtr.Man., England - 9197 lbs
- Hour bell, pitch?, 82-0-13, Warner, 1872
- Town Hall
Victoria Square, Knowsley Street
Bolton BL1
- Also four quarter bells. The clock has been electrified.
- Links:
> Locator maps from
MultiMap
and StreetMap
> The city Website
has color photo of building (and a larger version is available).
> Also see this building history for another photo;
follow links to see a larger version of the photo. There are
more on the Victoria Square page, also the Gallery page and the Webcam.
> A large version of an old b/w photo (89KB).
> A text page
about the dedication of the building mentions the clock and bells.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Warner bellfoundry.
34.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England - 9195 lbs
- "Emmanuel", pitch?, 82-0-11, Mears & Stainbank (Whitechapel), 1938
- Cathedral Church of Christ
- Tenor of a ring of 12 + semitone (total 13);
the heaviest change-ringing bell in the world.
- Links:
> (See #3 above.)
> The Liverpool Cathedral Guild of Change Ringers
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Whitechapel bellfoundry.
35.
Preston, Lancashire, England - 9161 lbs
- Former hour bell, G# (411HZ), 81-3-05, Taylor, 1927
- Town Hall
- Replaced an older and heavier bell (see #23 above).
Destroyed by fire in 1947; scrapping weight in 1948 was 81-1-21 nett.
- Links:
> Locator map from
StreetMap
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
36.
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England - 9083 lbs
37.
Exeter, Devon, England - ~8960(+/-200) lbs
- "Peter", A-flat, 4 tons, T.Purdue, 1676
- North tower
Cathedral Church of St.Peter (Anglican)
- Replaces a bell cast in 1484; hung for ringing, but not so sounded for a very long time.
In the south tower is a ring of 12 + 2 (semitone and extended treble, total 14),
tenor 72-2-2 in B-flat - the second-heaviest such bell in the world.
- Links:
> Locator maps from
MultiMap
and StreetMap
> The Cathedral Website
opens with an aerial view, showing clearly the unusual pair of side towers.
> 'Peter' is described at the bottom of the
Bells page.
> (This being the only Purdue bell listed, there is no foundry index.)
References:
Chris Pickford's list of
Great Bells of Great Britain, in
Excel Spreadsheet format
(300KB), as hosted on the Website of
The Keltek Trust.
Updated 03/01/06.
That list contains about 1700 bells, some of them outside the British Isles;
all are either actually or reputedly at least one tonne (20 cwt) in weight.
Of the 38 heaviest bells on his list, 37 are described in more detail above.
(The other is an undatable medieval bell mentioned in remarks above.)
John Ketteringham's collection of
recordings of notable bells
David Bryant, "Heavy bells hung for ringing",
an article written for publication in The Ringing World.
Return to the Great Bells index page.
Return to Indexes to tower bell sites in the British Isles.
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This page was created 2005/07/15, and last revised 2006/12/11.
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