Here are listed 21 existing Western-profile
great bells of Asia and the Pacific Rim,
in descending order by weight.
The list includes qualifying bass bells of carillons.
The format of each entry is explained in a key
at the bottom of this page.
Buddhist temple
Mingum sull'Irravaddy / Mingoon / Mingun
Sagaing Region, Myanmar (Burma)
LL: N 22.05306, E 96.01780 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Western profile but without soundbow, and therefore listed both here
and on the companion page.
About 366 cm high and 495 cm diameter.
May be the largest soundable bell in the world.
(Peik-thar are a traditional unit of weight equalling 3.6 lbs (1.63 kg) -
that's what the five characters that look like 9's on the side of the bell mean.)
Also reported as cast by King Bodawpaya on 28 April 1808.
Links:
> Illustrated
page about the world's three largest bells (this was #2)
> Ray's Bell Page #1
has a photo of this bell.
> Photo blog article
(in French) with several photos of this bell.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
unidentified bellfoundries.
Toki no Sumika Park
Gotenba (Gotemba), Shizuoka, Japan
LL: N 35.23731, E 138.92852 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Hung in a freestanding frame, and rung by hand (teams required)
Diameter 382 cm; Western profile
Cast at the Waertsila propellor factory in Drunen
Several very small bells are attached to the bell frame.
Links:
> The English Wikipedia article about the town of Gotemba (Gotenba), Shizuoka,
does not mention this bell.
> A photographer's
page has a good photo of the bell plus associated signage and description.
> A YouTube video
(2:20, jittery) shows that considerable teamwork is required to ring this bell.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Eijsbouts bellfoundry.
"Peace" (Rangimarie), D#, 12.25 tonnes or 12,500 kg, Eijsbouts, 1995
National War Memorial tower Buckle Street Mount Cook
Wellington, North Island, New Zealand LL: S 41.29897, E 174.77712
Bass bell of a carillon; #2,3,4,5 are also in this list.
Made under subcontract from Whitechapel,
to Gillett & Johnston profiles and with G&J decorations and bronze mix;
diameter 272 cm;
was the largest bell ever cast in the Netherlands up to that time;
because it exceeded the capacity of Eijsbouts' furnaces, it was actually
cast at the NV Lips foundry for ship propellors in Drunen.
Report of 12500 kg is believed to have been the pattern weight;
report of 12.25 tonnes may have been the actual cast weight;
report of 26292 lbs (11926 kg) may be the tuned weight.
Links and locator map:
> (See the site data page for the carillon.)
(Hour bell), D#, almost 11000 kg, Petit & Fritsen, 2002
Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology
(was Hyechon College)
Daejeon (Taejon), Chungchong, Korea
LL: N 36.30386, E 127.37410 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Independent of the 77-bell carillon in the same tower,
which contains 4 other great bells that are in this list..
Links:
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Petit & Fritsen
bellfoundry.
> For more details and links
see the site data page for the carillon (linked above).
"Dakong Linganay", pitch?, 10.4 ton, Juan de la Reina (Iloilo), 1878
St.Monica Church
Iloilo East Coast - Capiz Road
Pan-ay, Capiz, Philippines
LL: N 11.55560, E 122.79371 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Was made "using 70 sacks of coins"
(which makes the quoted weight rather suspect!)
Links:
> The homily
for the dedication of the bells of the Church of the Gesù in Quezon City
included a description of this bell.
> photo of bell
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
miscellaneous bellfoundries.
South tower Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception
Notre Dame Square
1 Cong Xa Paris, Ben Nghe ward, District 1
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Viet Nam
LL: N 10.77953, E 106.69925 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Bass bell of a diatonic peal of six, distributed between the two towers
(S = sol,do,re,mi; N = la,ti), total 38850 kg;
with Swiss-made tower clock installed in 1887, itself weighing over 1000 kg.
Building open 0530-1700 daily
Links:
> The English Wikipedia
article
about the building
has photographs of it, and mentions the bells (but without details).
> A tourist
page has historic and current photos of the building,
and recounts its history.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
unidentified bellfoundries.
Perth Bell Tower
LL: S 31.95891, E 115.85817 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
The biggest bell ever cast in the southern hemisphere;
designed and tuned by Nigel Taylor (late of Whitechapel).
Cast to pay tribute to the centenary of World War I, and to commemorate the
Australians and New Zealanders who have served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping
operations around the world.
Hangs above the ring of 16 in this tower.
Links:
> An article
about the appeal of the Swan Bell Tower has photos
of the ANZAC bell's dedication and of the tower.
> News
article on the making of this bell, with video (4:17)
> Another news
article incorrectly calls this the southern hemisphere's biggest bell.
> The Website of the Bell Tower
11.Canberra, Australian Capitol Territory, Australia - 13777 lbs
F#, 13777 lbs, Taylor, 1969
National Carillon
Queen Elizabeth II Island (was Aspen Island) Lake Burley Griffin
LL: S 35.29848, E 149.14172
Bourdon of a 55-bell carillon; #2 and #3 are also in this list.
Links and locator map:
> (See the site data page for the carillon.
Customs House 13 Zhongshan Road (#13, The Bund) Shanghai, China
LL: 31.23867, E 121.48545 Site locator map
Note that all western maps alignment of streets with overhead photography
are wildly inaccurate in China; see
this
page for a brief explanation.
Our location (above) is also probably equally wrong;
however, it should place a maptack correctly on Google Maps overhead photography.
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Hour bell of a five-bell clock chime, which originally struck the Cambridge
(Westminster) quarters.
The English inscription on one side of the bell is matched by its Chinese
equivalent on the other side.
Links:
> News article
(Apr'19) about the keeper of the clock in the Shangai Customs House,
with photos of the clock and the building but not the bells.
> The English Wikipedia
article
about the building has a photo of it
and a paragraph about the tower and clock.
Note that the clock quarters are in fact silent,
and "The East is Red" clock tune is a recording.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundries.
Tan Dinh Church
aka The Church of The Sacred Heart of Jesus
aka "The Pink Church"
289 Hai Ba Trung Street
District 3
Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Viet Nam
T: (08) 3829 3088 / (08) 3829 0093
LL: N 10.78855, E 106.69076 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Bass bell of a peal of five
Second largest church in HCMC, built 1870-76
Building open 0500-1900 daily
Links:
> The
church Website
is entirely in Vietnamese.
On the home page, a large photo alternates between an interior view
and an exterior view that shows part of the bell tower.
> An article
about church buildings in Viet Nam
has a section about this church and mentions this bell.
> A tourist
page has historic and current photos of the building,
and recounts its history.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
unidentified bellfoundries.
General Post Office
Martin Square
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
LL: S 33.86751, E 151.20776 Site locator map
City locator maps
and gazetteer page
Part of a 5-bell clock-chime designed by Lord Grimthorpe,
and thus presumably of very heavy profile
(which is consistent with the relatively high pitch for its weight).
The accompanying clock was supplied by Joyce of Whitchurch.
Cambridge (Westminster) quarters, with hour strike at the octave.
Links:
> The English Wikipedia
article
about the building has photos of it, including a historic photo
taken before the clock was installed.
The controversy about the clock and bells is reported,
but no details about them are included.
> Video
of the clock tower bells (7:41), with exterior views of the tower,
a narrated tour of the belfry, and the clock strike; claimed as
"Australia's second heaviest bell",
which it was at one time but is no longer.
> Where this bell lies in the total sequence of output of the
Taylor bellfoundry.
