This web page is all about some of the world's most interesting and unusual towers that you might like to visit. If you have any other interesting towers that you have visited, then put them on this site! add a tower Quiz Question... ...How many towers (with rings of bells) are there in the world with lifts? - This question has had everyone thinking! A list is currently being compiled. List of Towers with Lifts East Bergholt, Suffolk- View the photo gallery As with the other two, it's not the staircase that's the problem (There isn't one). The bells are 'housed' in a bell tower, in the churchyard. Legend has it that 'the devil' prevented the completion of the original tower, but the stump still exists today. The bells themselves are the heaviest five in the world, but the unusual part is that they are not rung with ropes or wheels. They are rung by handling the headstocks, with the ringers standing by their side. It's quite a dangerous job, and ringing has been suspended there in the past, due to accidents. Amazingly, on Monday 23rd April, 1821, 120 changes of singles (with the treble leading, and the tenor drumming behind) were rung on these bells. This was quite an achievement, considering the weights of the bells and the way in which they are rung. (Treble) 12 1/2 cwt, (2) 12 3/4 cwt, (3) 14 3/4 cwt, (4) 19 3/4 cwt, (Tenor) 26 cwt. Heavy! St. Augustine's, Brookland, Kent Brookland is near Romney Marsh, in Kent, and has an unusual tower. The story goes that when the bells arrived at the church in the 15th Century, it was thought that the ground wasn't strong enough to support the extra weight of the bells ringing. So they decided to hang the bells in a frame, and then build the tower around the bells! The oldest bell is the 5th, which was cast c.1440. For an alternative version of why the bells are hung in a separate tower, visit www.digiserve.com/peter/st-a-b.htm Rugby, Warwickshire- View the new photo gallery St. Andrew's Rugby is unique, because it is the only church in the world which has two rings of bells (under the same dedication). In the north-east tower, there is a 24 cwt ring of eight, and in the west tower there is a 9 cwt ring of 5. The church has two towers because a medieval curch was built in 1140, and when the victorians built their church, they incorporated the medival tower, but also built a tower in their own style. The west tower is the oldest structure in Rugby. Waterloo Tower, Quex Park, Kent This tower was built with the purpose of extending the art of ringing. Waterloo Tower, in Quex Park, near Birchington, Kent was built by John Powell, the local squire in 1819. The actual tower is built in the 'Gothic' style, but there is a curly cast iron spire on top of the tower. A description written at the time it was built says the idea of the spire was to 'make a noble sea mark being only one mile from that briny fluid'. There is a ring of 12 bells in the tower, (tenor weighs 15-1-20) all cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The official opening of the bells was in 1819, and attracted quite a large crowd of people. Both the Cumberland Youths and the College Youths took part in the ringing. Pershore Abbey, Worcestershire At Pershore Abbey there is a 25 1/2 cwt ring of 8 bells, but it's not the bells which are unusual. You ring the bells from a 'cage' which goes across the chancel crossing. To get to the belfry, you have to climb up a spiral staircase, then walk across a semi-open gallery (across the chancel crossing) to the belfry. Not for people who are scared of heights! This is the belfry, looking from underneath. As you can see on the right, there's one turn of wrought iron staircase, before you walk across the gallery. St. John's Lane, Dublin, Ireland As with Pershore Abbey, it's not the bells that's unusual, it's how you get there to ring them that's fun. At St. John's Lane, Dublin, Ireland, there's an anti-clockwise 27 cwt ring of 10. You start off your journey by going round 3 turns of an enclosed spiral staircase. Then you enter a gallery, where there's the entrance to a wrought iron open spiral staircase. The gaps between the railings are quite big.When you have climbed to the top of the staircase you have to turn to climb a straight ladder. The scary bit is that you can see the full length of this large church as you climb, and it looks as if there's nothing underneath you. Once you over come your fear, you're in the belfry, ready to ring a 27 cwt 10! (Then all you've got to worry about is getting down again afterwards!) Worth the visit if you're not scared of heights.
- This question has had everyone thinking! A list is currently being compiled. List of Towers with Lifts
As with the other two, it's not the staircase that's the problem (There isn't one). The bells are 'housed' in a bell tower, in the churchyard. Legend has it that 'the devil' prevented the completion of the original tower, but the stump still exists today. The bells themselves are the heaviest five in the world, but the unusual part is that they are not rung with ropes or wheels. They are rung by handling the headstocks, with the ringers standing by their side. It's quite a dangerous job, and ringing has been suspended there in the past, due to accidents. Amazingly, on Monday 23rd April, 1821, 120 changes of singles (with the treble leading, and the tenor drumming behind) were rung on these bells. This was quite an achievement, considering the weights of the bells and the way in which they are rung. (Treble) 12 1/2 cwt, (2) 12 3/4 cwt, (3) 14 3/4 cwt, (4) 19 3/4 cwt, (Tenor) 26 cwt. Heavy!
Brookland is near Romney Marsh, in Kent, and has an unusual tower. The story goes that when the bells arrived at the church in the 15th Century, it was thought that the ground wasn't strong enough to support the extra weight of the bells ringing. So they decided to hang the bells in a frame, and then build the tower around the bells! The oldest bell is the 5th, which was cast c.1440. For an alternative version of why the bells are hung in a separate tower, visit www.digiserve.com/peter/st-a-b.htm
St. Andrew's Rugby is unique, because it is the only church in the world which has two rings of bells (under the same dedication). In the north-east tower, there is a 24 cwt ring of eight, and in the west tower there is a 9 cwt ring of 5. The church has two towers because a medieval curch was built in 1140, and when the victorians built their church, they incorporated the medival tower, but also built a tower in their own style. The west tower is the oldest structure in Rugby.
This tower was built with the purpose of extending the art of ringing. Waterloo Tower, in Quex Park, near Birchington, Kent was built by John Powell, the local squire in 1819. The actual tower is built in the 'Gothic' style, but there is a curly cast iron spire on top of the tower. A description written at the time it was built says the idea of the spire was to 'make a noble sea mark being only one mile from that briny fluid'. There is a ring of 12 bells in the tower, (tenor weighs 15-1-20) all cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry. The official opening of the bells was in 1819, and attracted quite a large crowd of people. Both the Cumberland Youths and the College Youths took part in the ringing.
At Pershore Abbey there is a 25 1/2 cwt ring of 8 bells, but it's not the bells which are unusual. You ring the bells from a 'cage' which goes across the chancel crossing. To get to the belfry, you have to climb up a spiral staircase, then walk across a semi-open gallery (across the chancel crossing) to the belfry. Not for people who are scared of heights!
This is the belfry, looking from underneath. As you can see on the right, there's one turn of wrought iron staircase, before you walk across the gallery.
