WELLINGTON - WM : NEW ZEALAND

   National War Memorial Carillon

*Location:

   National War Memorial
   Buckle Street at Tasman Street
   Mount Cook
   Wellington, North Island, New Zealand
   LL: S 41.29897, E 174.77712

   Hyde Park, London, England

   Evening Chronicle Campanile
   North-East Coast Exhibition
   on the Town Moor
   Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England

Site locator map or
City locator maps and gazetteer page (county may be wrong)
Also see our own Map Use Hints.

*Player:

   Timothy Hurd QSM,   (C)
     National Carillonist of New Zealand
   P.O. Box 6374, Marion Square
   6030 Wellington
   W: 4/385 2496   F: same, on request
   E: timothy.hurd@mch.govt.nz
   - and -
   Dr.Sydney J. Shep,   (C)
     Associate Carillonist; also
     Snr. Lecturer in Print & Book Culture
   Victoria University of Wellington
   P.O. Box 600
   Wellington
   W: 4/463-5784x615   F: 4/496-5446
   E: Sydney.Shep@vuw.ac.nz

   25Ap1932 ded.by Clifford Ball
     and Gladys Watkins
   1932-36 Gladys E. Watkins  (1884-1939)
   ('38-40 automatic only)
   1940-50 John H. Randal
   1950-54 Selwyn Baker
   1954-82 John H. Randal  (1912-83)
   ('82-84 disused)
   - and -
   Assistants:
     Evan Robert   (d.)
     John L'Estrange   (d.)

*Contact:

   Paul Riley, Curator
   P.O. Box 6374, Marion Square
   6030 Wellington
   W: 4/385 2496   F: same, on request
   E: paul.riley@mch.govt.nz

*Schedule:

   Recitals:
     Sep-Jun M-F 1200-1230, Su 1430-1515
     Jul-Aug Su 1530-1515 (when National
       Carillonist not touring elsewhere)
   War Memorial open daily (except Good
   Friday and Christmas Day),
   Mon-Sat, 1030-1630

*Remarks:

   Original bells cast 1928, as a sister
   instrument to the Peace Tower of
   Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
   1986 trebles are Hurd/G&J profiles
   cast at Taylor foundry.  Space for
   4 basses added 1995-6 was provided
   originally in tower and clavier;
   but additional trebles required new
   keyboards in 1986 and 1996.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 74 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D# in the bass octave
   Transposition is down 2 semitone(s)
   Keyboard range:     F G   /    F C 31
   There is one missing bass semitone
   The instrument was enlarged in 1996
     with  5 bells made by Whitechapel 
   Prior history:
     In 1995, the instrument was enlarged to 69 bells
       by Eijsbouts   
       (4 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
     In 1986, the instrument was enlarged to 65 bells
       by Taylor      
       (36 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
     In 1932, the instrument was begun with 49 bells
       by Gillett & Johnston
       (29 bells remain from that work.)
   Year of latest technical information source is 1995

Additional information on the technical history of this instrument can be found in a database printout.

*Links:

The Website of the National War Memorial opens with a photo of the tower.  The carillon page has a photo of the instrument erected at the foundry for testing; notice the three people who give a sense of the size of the original 49-bell instrument.  Four sound clips are available.  See also the History page.

Biography of Gladys Watkins

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Gillett & Johnston bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Whitechapel bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all Asian & Pacific Rim traditional carillons by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all Asian & Pacific Rim traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all Asian & Pacific Rim traditional carillons by year of completion.

Index to all traditional carillons in NZ.

Index to all tower bell instruments in NZ.

*Status:

   This page was built from the database on  5-Dec-06
   based on textual data last updated on 2006/12/04
   and on technical data last updated on 1996/06/01

Explanations of page format and keyboard range are available.

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