Loughborough Carillon facts for kids
The Loughborough Carillon, also known as the Carillon Tower, is a special musical tower and a war memorial located in Loughborough, England. You can find it in Queen's Park, and it's so tall (about 152 feet high!) that you can see it from miles away.
This tower was planned in 1919 and finished in 1923. It was the very first carillon in England to have four octaves of bells. The idea for carillons like this came from Belgium, a country where many British soldiers lost their lives during the Great War (also known as World War I) from 1914 to 1918. The Carillon was designed by Sir Walter Tapper. Today, it's a listed building, which means it's an important historical structure.
The Carillon has 47 bells, and all of them were made right there in Loughborough at the John Taylor Bell Foundry. The tower itself was built by William Moss and Sons Ltd, also from Loughborough.
The tower was officially opened on Sunday, July 22, 1923. Important people like Theodore Woods, who was the Bishop of Peterborough, and Field-Marshal William Robertson were there. A famous carillon player named Jef Denyn played the bells. For the event, a special piece of music called Memorial Chimes was composed by Edward Elgar. The original music sheet for this piece was found again in 2012!
If you want to hear the bells play, you can! There are special concerts, called recitals, every Thursday and Sunday afternoon from 1 PM to 2 PM during the summer months.
Explore the War Memorial Museum
Inside the Carillon Tower, you'll find the War Memorial Museum. This museum has three floors filled with amazing items from the military. You can see things from different parts of the armed forces and learn about both World War I and World War II.
To get up the tower and see the museum, you'll need to climb a long spiral staircase. Because of this, only the ground floor is accessible for people with disabilities.
The Carillon's Chimes
The Loughborough Carillon is famous for its 47 bells. These bells are all different sizes and weights, which allows them to play many different musical notes. The smallest bells are very light, weighing only a few kilograms. But the largest bell, called the Bourdon bell, is much heavier, weighing over 4,000 kilograms! Imagine how much sound that makes!
See also
- List of carillons of the British Isles
