The cornerstone of the tower was laid in 1954 by Michael Ramsay, the Archbishop of Canterbury. Renovations to the ringing chamber, completed in 1994, include insulation and paneling, double-paned glass, new carpet and new maple seats and coat rack making ringing conditions much more bearable in the Calgary winters.
There are only seven towers in Canada with bells hung for change ringing: Two in Quebec City, Calgary, - 10 bells, 21 cwt), Vancouver (Holy Rosary Cathedral (R.C.) - 8 bells, 16 cwt) and Victoria (Christ Church Cathedral) - 10 bells, 29 cwt). A new ring at St. James Cathedral in Toronto was dedicated in 1997. The new bells are the only ring of 12 bells on the North American Continent.
There are over 20 towers in the United States (including Hawaii) and about six thousand in England. For more information on ringing, see the North American Guild of Change Ringer's Home Page.
All eight bells were rung for the first time on September 8, 1957.
The details of the bells are as follows:
Treble - 366 lbs
[3-1-2 cwt] (B flat) Diameter:22.5". Given by an anonymous parishioner
in memory of his mother. The Treble bears the inscription:
Second - 350 lbs (A)
- In memory of John David Southam, 1909-1954 (Note: The second is
actually the lightest bell in the tower despite its pitch being a semi-tone
lower than the treble.)
Third - 406 lbs
(G) - Presented by the Women's Guild, Nov 29, 1955. On the third, the
following verse is inscribed:
Fourth - 472 lbs (F)
- Given by a "thankful parishioner" (Charles S. Robinson) The fourth is
inscribed with:
Fifth - 550 lbs (E
flat) - In memory of Letitia Ann Hill (1895-1955) and Henry Bruce Hill
(1894-1955) The fifth bell is inscribed with the following verse:
Sixth - 590 lbs (D)
- In memory of E.F.L. Tavender (1870-1950)
Seventh - 708 lbs
(Middle C) - In Memory of Florence Adele Lowes (1877-1948)
Tenor 952 lbs [8
1/2 cwt.] (B flat) 35.25". Dedicated to the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Sept 4th, 1954
The Church also owns a set of eight Gillett & Johnston handbells in the key of C which were supplied with the tower bells for practice use. These handbells were quite possibly the first of their kind in Calgary. For more information about tune ringing on handbells, see the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers home page.
The handbells are about to be restored at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Follow this link to download
a 40 second .WAV file of the bells of Christ Church. or if you
have Real Audio, This
link is a LOT faster. In this example you will hear the "back six"
bells ringing a bit of Grandsire Doubles, a "method" rung on five bells
with the tenor (or largest bell) covering (following behind).
Visitors please contact: The Tower Captain for more information about ringing times.
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St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral on 18th Avenue and First Street South West has four French bells from the 19th century in the tower, a gift of then Senator Patrick Burns. The three smaller ones are hung with small wheels and cart-ropes, and the largest bell is electrically swung and controlled by an automatic mechanism. The bells still retain their original gargoyle-decorated canons and are in separate frames built by an American clock-maker.
Central United Church on First Street and Seventh Ave. SW has a large chime of tubular bells which has recently been refurbished. They are played electrically from the organ console and ring the quarters and the hours.
Calgary City Hall has a single bell rung mechanically by the clock.
In Banff, Alberta, there is a chime of thirteen bells in St. George's In The Pines (Anglican) rung by a small traditional carillon mechanism. The chime was a gift of the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 1911. St. Georges is located one block off Banff Avenue near the Bow River.
Compiled and
maintained by John Musselwhite
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to this page since October 7, 1997.
Last Modified: June 25, 2004