As it happened – beyond the stories – this story should ring a bell

The Bell Tower before the addition of Elizabeth Quay

The name St Martin-in-the-Fields should ring a bell with most West Aussies. 

Swan Bells, Perth’s landmark tourist attraction, evolves from the historic St Martin-in-the-Fields parish church of Buckingham Palace in London’s Trafalgar Square.

The St Martin bells have endured a remarkable journey through history. For more than 275 years, they rang out over Trafalgar Square every New Year’s Eve. They celebrated England’s victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588 and the World War II Allies’ victory at El Alamein in 1942.

The bells were recast between 1725 and 1770 on order of the Prince of Wales (later King George II). They are the only royal bells known to have left England.

The bells gonged for the coronation of every British monarch since King George II in 1727 as well as Captain James Cook’s homecoming. 

After bell ringing expert and businessman, Laith Reynolds, heard of England’s plan to recast the bells, he engineered a deal: the 12 bells would be donated to WA as a gift to mark Australia’s 1988 Bicentenary. 

West Australian mining companies donated copper and tin for England to recast new bells and they ring out daily over St Martin in the Fields.

In Perth, an additional bell was added, the ANZAC Bell, cast in Perth and the largest of its kind in Australia. Weighing 6,500 kilograms, the ANZAC Bell is expected to last more than 500 years.

Turning 24, Swan Bells (aka the Bell Tower) has stood the test of time against public and political sneers, cost complaints and doubts about its tenure.

Nearly a quarter of a century since the bells first rang out, the tower has been visited by more than a million people and embraced by tourist precinct, Elizabeth Quay.

It was England’s first Queen Elizabeth who had the 14th Century’s 12 bells recast in the 16th Century. It was the second Queen Elizabeth’s name given to the ancient bells’ riverside home.

After the bells landed in Perth, they were set aside for 12 long years while it was decided what to do with these cultural riches. 

Among the siting suggestions was a tower at the University of Western Australia but the State Government decided to make it a focal point of a redeveloped Barrack Street Jetty area.

In December 2000, what emerged from local architects Hames Sharley, was a $5.5 million, towering glass spire, reaching 30 metres. 

Tower promoters rightly brag: “The tower is one of the few places on Earth where interactive demonstrations allow visitors to see the ancient art of bell ringing in action and also have a go at ringing the bells.”

Five new bells were added in Perth, via UWA, the City of Perth and from the City of London, the City of Westminster and a consortium of British and Australian mining companies. One bell was commissioned by the State Government.

In 2018, to commemorate the World War One armistice, a 6.5 tonne bell was cast by VEEM Limited in Canning Vale. Known as the “Great ANZAC Bell”, it is unique, being swung electronically using a Belgian-made motor.

All 18 bells, weighing nine tonnes, are housed in a reinforced concrete six-storey bell chamber designed by structural engineering firm Arup. Soundproof louvres and doors muffle the sound and can direct the noise towards the city or the river. 

One of the largest musical instruments in the world, Swan Bells constitutes the second largest set of change ringing bells in the world, after Dublin’s 19 bells in Christ Church Cathedral.

Ceramic tiles around the tower, naming students from nearly every WA school from 1999, were removed in 2014 and reinstalled in new artwork, east of the tower.

Swan Bells became a millennium project, delivered on time and on budget. Approaching its 25th year, the bells toll.

Ringing Times: Thursdays, 12pm to 3pm. Sundays, handling, 10.30am to 11.30am. General ringing 12pm to 3pm. A monthly calendar shows variations and extra sessions.

www.belltowerringers.asn.au/the-story-of-the-swan-bells/

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Lee Tate
Journalist, commentator, broadcaster and author. Lee, columnist for Have a Go News has reported for The Australian Financial Review, The Australian, The West Australian, Sunday Times, Albany Advertiser, Melbourne Herald, Launceston Examiner, Business News and national magazines. Lee has covered federal politics, industrial relations and national affairs. A public speaker, newspaper columnist and author of two books, Lee co-hosted 6PR’s current affairs radio. He also co-founded a stable of national business newsletters. Lee is former communications manager for a non-profit, mental health carers’ organisation.