This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/shortcuts/2017/aug/15/which-bells-could-stand-in-big-ben-liverpool-great-george-olympic-bell
The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Ringing endorsement: which bells could stand in for Big Ben? | Ringing endorsement: which bells could stand in for Big Ben? |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The news that Big Ben, the bell that chimes from within Elizabeth Tower by the Houses of Parliament, will soon be silenced has been viewed in some quarters as positively apocalyptic. “Symbols matter at times like these – Big Ben should keep chiming,” spluttered the Telegraph. | The news that Big Ben, the bell that chimes from within Elizabeth Tower by the Houses of Parliament, will soon be silenced has been viewed in some quarters as positively apocalyptic. “Symbols matter at times like these – Big Ben should keep chiming,” spluttered the Telegraph. |
| The hammers that strike the 13.7-tonne bell will be locked while the tower and its clock undergo maintenance and refurbishment, to protect the people working on it. “Where the Nazis failed, health and safety has triumphed,” harrumphed the same newspaper. | |
| From noon on 21 August, it will be four years until the bell’s distinct, sonorous tone will be heard again (with two exceptions: it will still be rung to mark New Year and Remembrance Sunday). | From noon on 21 August, it will be four years until the bell’s distinct, sonorous tone will be heard again (with two exceptions: it will still be rung to mark New Year and Remembrance Sunday). |
| It has sounded on the hour for most of the past 157 years. During previous silences, the BBC – which uses live bongs to mark the daily news bulletins at 6pm and midnight and at 10pm on Sunday before Radio 4’s Westminster Hour – has played the pips instead. When the quarter-chimes were out of action briefly in 2006, it played birdsong. This time, the broadcaster will use a recording of Big Ben; according to a spokesperson, this is “the most reliable and resilient option”. | It has sounded on the hour for most of the past 157 years. During previous silences, the BBC – which uses live bongs to mark the daily news bulletins at 6pm and midnight and at 10pm on Sunday before Radio 4’s Westminster Hour – has played the pips instead. When the quarter-chimes were out of action briefly in 2006, it played birdsong. This time, the broadcaster will use a recording of Big Ben; according to a spokesperson, this is “the most reliable and resilient option”. |
| But it won’t be the same – there won’t be that frisson of excitement that a presenter might still be talking when the chimes start, nor will there be agonising seconds of dead air if they are a bit late. So, why not broadcast from another town or city? Denis Nowlan, the head of station management at Radio 4, said it would be too difficult – the chimes must not have much background noise and must be at the right pitch. But surely these problems could be overcome. Does it not smack of London-centrism that only Big Ben will do? | |
| In 2015, Nottingham offered the use of Little John, the 10-tonne bell in the dome above its grand Council House. “This is an opportunity to have a bit of devolution,” said deputy council leader Graham Chapman at the time. | In 2015, Nottingham offered the use of Little John, the 10-tonne bell in the dome above its grand Council House. “This is an opportunity to have a bit of devolution,” said deputy council leader Graham Chapman at the time. |
| “There are some amazing bells in the UK,” says Christopher O’Mahony, president of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. The huge bell that was cast for the London 2012 Olympics, which weighs nearly 23 tonnes, “would have been a fantastic replacement”, he says. It was rung by Bradley Wiggins during the opening ceremony and is now installed as a giant ornament outside the stadium, but there are no plans to ring it again – it is considered too noisy for neighbouring residents. “The bigger the bell, the further the sound will carry,” says O’Mahony. | “There are some amazing bells in the UK,” says Christopher O’Mahony, president of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers. The huge bell that was cast for the London 2012 Olympics, which weighs nearly 23 tonnes, “would have been a fantastic replacement”, he says. It was rung by Bradley Wiggins during the opening ceremony and is now installed as a giant ornament outside the stadium, but there are no plans to ring it again – it is considered too noisy for neighbouring residents. “The bigger the bell, the further the sound will carry,” says O’Mahony. |
| Any number of “great tom” bells could stand in for Big Ben, including the one at St Paul’s in London (five tonnes), the great tom at Christ Church, Oxford (six tonnes) and Lincoln Cathedral’s hour bell (5.5 tonnes). “York Minster has Great Peter – 10.5 tonnes,” says O’Mahony. Some big bells would have to be put into hourly service, such as Liverpool Cathedral’s 14.7-tonne Great George, since they are swung manually and rarely used. “All over the place, whether cathedrals, town halls or freestanding town clocks, there are some wonderful bells available.” | Any number of “great tom” bells could stand in for Big Ben, including the one at St Paul’s in London (five tonnes), the great tom at Christ Church, Oxford (six tonnes) and Lincoln Cathedral’s hour bell (5.5 tonnes). “York Minster has Great Peter – 10.5 tonnes,” says O’Mahony. Some big bells would have to be put into hourly service, such as Liverpool Cathedral’s 14.7-tonne Great George, since they are swung manually and rarely used. “All over the place, whether cathedrals, town halls or freestanding town clocks, there are some wonderful bells available.” |