GLASGOW : SCOTLAND-LA

*Location:

   Tolbooth (or) Cross Steeple
   High Street/Saltmarket
     at Gallowgate/Trongate
   Glasgow, Strathclyde (Lanark), Scotland
   OS Ref. NS 596 648
   LL: N 55.85683, W 4.24364

Site locator map via
or or [StreetMapUK/titled] or [StreetMapUK/plain]
City locator maps and gazetteer page (County is wrong; other data are correct.)
Also see our own Map Use Hints.

*Player:

   (unknown)

*Contact:

   (unknown)

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   First set of bells (number unknown)
   cast in Holland in 1663, intended for
   installation in a new steeple in
   Briggait, but eventually installed here.
   Replaced by 19 bells from London,
   which were found to be out of tune, and
   mostly replaced by 14 small bells cast
   and tuned in Edinburgh.  Present
   bells by John C. Wilson (local Scots).

*Technical data:

   Traditional chime (baton keyboard) of 16 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is G# in the middle octave
   Transposition is unknown
   Keyboard range:     ----  /    ----  
   The whole instrument was installed in 1881
     by the maker cited in Remarks above
   Prior history:
     In 1739, some bells were recast or replaced
       with bells made by the maker cited in Remarks above
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1738, a complete instrument was installed
       with bells made by the maker cited in Remarks above
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1665, a complete instrument was installed
       with bells made by the maker cited in Remarks above
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
   Year of latest technical information source is 1979

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

*Links:

An article and photo about the Tolbooth

Another article and photo

Night photo

Day photo; the bells of the chime are visible between the clockface and the stone crown.

A page on Old Glasgow Sights gives a few more details of the steeple's history

A flickr photo shows more of the bells (and tourists).

An architectural-interest photo shows more of the tower's surroundings.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of unknown bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of unknown bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of unknown bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of miscellaneous bellfoundries, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all British Isles chimes by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all British Isles chimes by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all British Isles chimes by year of completion.

Index to all tower bell instruments in Scotland.

*Status:

   This page was built from the database on 13-Nov-08
   based on textual data last updated on 2008/10/02
   and on technical data last updated on 2008/10/02

Explanations of page format and keyboard range are available.

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