All Saints Cathedral Bells facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bathurst Cathedral Bells |
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New tower constructed in 2009 to house the bells
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| Location | All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Church Street, Bathurst, Bathurst Region, New South Wales, Australia |
| Built | 1853–1855 |
| Owner | Anglican Church |
| Official name: Bathurst Cathedral Bells; Bathurst Bells | |
| Type | state heritage (movable / collection) |
| Designated | 10 September 2004 |
| Reference no. | 1707 |
| Type | Other - Religion |
| Category | Religion |
| Builders | John Warner and Sons, Crescent Foundry of London, England |
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The All Saints Cathedral Bells are a special collection of church bells located at All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Bathurst, Australia. These bells were made in London, England, by a company called John Warner and Sons between 1853 and 1855. They are considered very important to history and are listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register since 2004.
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The Bells' Story: A Journey Through Time
Early Days of Bathurst
Before European settlers arrived, the land around Bathurst was home to the Wiradjuri Aboriginal people. They lived off the land and used the rivers for food. European settlement began after explorers crossed the Blue Mountains in 1813.
Bathurst was officially named a town on May 7, 1815, by Governor Lachlan Macquarie. He named it after Lord Bathurst, a key government official. Bathurst is actually Australia's oldest inland town!
Building the Church and Ordering Bells
The first Anglican church in the area was built in 1825 in Kelso. Later, in 1848, the All Saints Anglican church was built in Bathurst. It was designed by a famous architect named Edmund Blacket. This church became a cathedral in 1870.
People in Bathurst really wanted a set of bells for their new church. A local businessman, Thomas Sloman, started a fundraising effort. They managed to collect a large sum of money, £800, from the public. In 1851, Mr. Sloman sailed to England to order six bells from the Warner & Sons Crescent Foundry in London.
The Bells Arrive!
The bells arrived in Sydney in February 1855. However, getting these heavy bells over the Blue Mountains to Bathurst was a huge challenge! It was even harder because many people were busy rushing to the nearby goldfields. The bells arrived one by one from May 1855. They were finally hung in the church tower on December 8, 1855.
The bells rang for the first time in Bathurst in early 1856. While some thought they were the first bells in Australia, there were actually bells in other cities like Hobart and Melbourne much earlier. However, the Bathurst Cathedral Bells were the first to be rung outside of Australia's main colonial cities.
A Cracked Bell and Wild Celebrations
Just a few days after the bells were put in place, on December 13, 1856, news arrived that a Russian fortress had been captured during the Crimean War. People in Bathurst were so excited! They started celebrating with bonfires, fireworks, and lots of singing.
Around 10 PM, some excited young men decided to ring the new bells to add to the party. The ropes weren't even attached yet, so they used iron bars to strike the bells! They even locked the doors to keep others out. Even after being removed, they broke back in and hit the bells again. It's not known if this rough treatment caused it, but the smallest bell was later found to be cracked. In 1860, it had to be sent back to the foundry in England to be fixed and then returned to Bathurst.
From Ringing to Chiming
The bells were rung regularly until the early 1890s. But there was a problem: the swinging motion of the bells was causing the church tower to crack! Because of this, they stopped "full circle ringing" (where the bells swing all the way around). Instead, they started "chiming," which means striking the still bells.
The bells were chimed on Sundays until about 1969. No one alive today has heard them ring in the traditional English way, which creates a much richer sound. The sound of these bells is also different from a carillon, which plays melodies.
The Bells' Recent Journey
In 1970, the old church building and bell tower were taken down. The six Bathurst Cathedral Bells were left sitting outside on the grass behind the Bathurst Courthouse.
In 1988, people decided to rescue them. With help from public donations, the bells were sent to England to be restored by experts. They came back to Bathurst in 1992. Most of the bells are currently stored safely, but one bell is on display in the entrance area (foyer) of the cathedral.
In 2000, a group of people who cared about the bells started working to get them reinstalled. In 2002, a community group called the "Cathedral Bells of Bathurst Supporters" was formed. They launched an appeal in 2003 to raise money for a new, separate tower to house the bells. They also hope to add two new bells to make a full set of eight!
What Makes These Bells Special?
The Bathurst Cathedral Bells are considered very important for several reasons:
- First Outside Sydney: They were the first church bells to be rung outside of Sydney, Melbourne, and Hobart.
- Rare Maker: Most church bells in Australia were made by a company called Whitechapel. But the Bathurst bells were made by John Warner and Sons, which is quite rare. Warner & Sons also cast the first version of the famous Big Ben bell in London!
- Oldest Workable Set: Among the old sets of bells still existing in New South Wales, the Bathurst bells are the third earliest set that could still be used.
- Community Spirit: The fact that people raised so much money for the bells back in the 1850s, and are still working to reinstall them today, shows how much the community values them.
Description of the Bells
The collection includes six church bells. They were all made by Warner and Sons Crescent Foundry in London in 1854.
- Each bell has "Warner and Sons Crescent Foundry London" written around its top.
- They also have a crest and the year 1854.
- The bells are made of "bell metal," which is a type of bronze.
- They are quite large, weighing between 201 and 468 kilograms (about 443 to 1032 pounds).
- They are tuned to a musical scale.
- One bell is currently on display at the All Saints Anglican Cathedral, while the other five are in storage.
The church hopes to build a new tower to hang all the bells again. They also plan to add two more bells to make a complete set of eight. This would allow them to be rung in the traditional "full circle" way once more!
Images for kids
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One of the cathedral bells on display in the foyer of All Saints Anglican Cathedral, Bathurst, 2004
