Inventory of bells
Minster - YORK (ENGLAND)
Reference 8768
Reference 8768


Bells The two west towers of the minster hold bells, clock chimes and a concert carillon. The north-west tower contains Great Peter (216 cwt or 10.8 tons) and the six clock bells (the largest weighing just over 60 cwt or 3 tons). The south-west tower holds 14 bells (tenor 59 cwt or 3 tons) hung and rung for change ringing and 22 carillon bells (tenor 23 cwt or 1.2 tons) which are played from a baton keyboard in the ringing chamber (all together 35 bells.)
The clock bells ring every quarter of an hour during the daytime and Great Peter strikes the hour. The change ringing bells are not currently rung, following the termination of the ringers' volunteer agreements in October 2016. York Minster became the first cathedral in England to have a carillon of bells with the arrival of a further twenty-four small bells on 4 April 2008. These are added to the existing "Nelson Chime" which is chimed to announce Evensong around 5.00 pm each day, giving a carillon of 35 bells in total (three chromatic octaves). The new bells were cast at the Loughborough Bell Foundry of Taylors, Eayre & Smith, where all of the existing minster bells were cast. The new carillon is a gift to the minster. It will be the first new carillon in the British Isles for 40 years and first hand played carillon in an English cathedral. Before Evensong each evening, hymn tunes are played on a baton keyboard connected with the bells, but occasionally anything from Beethoven to the Beatles may be heard.
(Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster#Towers_and_bells)
Traditional bell ringing Change Ringing
Remarks Change Ringing stopped in October 2016
| Author | Title | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| JONES, Mary | Inegalitarian clanger dropped by York Minster with its bellringing changes | 2016 | |
| O'MAHONY, Christopher | York Minster and Central Council – a message from the Vice President | 2016 | |
| PERRAUDIN, Frances | For whom the bell tolls: York Minster to fall silent as ringers sacked | 2016 | |
| SANDERSON, James | I was a bellringer at York Minster. We want to know why we were sacked | 2016 | |
| YORK MINSTER | Statement - York Minster Bell Ringers | 2016 | |
| HALLIDAY, Josh | York Minster bells to ring again, in aftermath of heavy dispute | 2017 |
| Person | Video | Date | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| TAYLOR, JOHN & CO | Great Peter of York (1927) | 20-04-1927 | 01:38 |
| Great Peter Ringing, York Minster | 22-09-2013 | 07:21 |
Card editor MARTÍNEZ ROIG, Eliseo
Updating 19-10-2016
| Location | Bell | Bellfounder | Casting year | Diameter (in cm) | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North-West Tower | Great Peter | TAYLOR, JOHN & CO | 1927 | 0.00 | 10800 |