*Location:

   Hingham Memorial Bell Tower
   Main Street near Elm Street
   Hingham, Massachusetts, USA
   LL: N 42.24136, W 70.88639

Site locator map

*Ringers' contact(s):

   Martha Ryan
   T: (781)749-1432
   E: martha_p_ryan@yahoo.com

      Verify the current ringers' contact(s) at the NAGCR Website.

*Contact:

   Hingham Memorial Bell Tower Committee
   Hingham Town Hall
   210 Central Street
   Hingham, MA  02043-2759
   T: (781)741-1410  [Town Clerk]
   E: via Webform [@] www.hingham-ma.gov

*Schedule:

   Practice Sat 0930-1030

*Remarks:

   Added semitone is flat 7th (or flat 4
   in ringing terms), hung dead on upper
   level of bell frame (with 2 trebles).
   Tower (a municipal structure) stands
   on land originally owned by Old Ship
   Church (nearby), but now by the town.
   Bells are all replicas of bells in
   churches in Hingham, England, and
   neighboring towns.
   2013: multi-phase major renovation of
   tower and bells in progress, replacing
   floors & stairs, adding steel frame to
   reinforce middle level, adding system
   to heat & dehumidify.
   TBD: refurb of bells by Whitechapel.

*Technical data:

   Ring of 10 bells + chiming semitone
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D# in the middle octave
   Transposition is not applicable
   Keyboard range:     ROPE10/    NONE  
   There is one added semitone
   The whole instrument was installed in 1912
     with bells made by Whitechapel 
   Auxiliary mechanisms: L11   
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 1991

News article on the first phase of restoration work, for building stabilization including replacement of a wood floor and a concrete floor with two new concrete floors.  Phase Two (not yet funded) will remove bells and ship them to Whitechapel for refurbishment.  Phase Three will reinstall them and complete interior & exterior masonry repairs.  The tower was built in 1912 to celebrate the 275th anniversary of the town.
News article on phase 2 of Hingham Bell Tower restoration work, with 4 photos.
News article on planned improvements, with a large photo of the tower and one in the belfry, showing the stationary chime bell above the change-ringing bells.

The Hingham Memorial Bell Tower Committee has a small tower photo on the town Website.

Short news article, accompanied by a video which includes still photos taken in the tower and in the belfry.

Article with photo and video

A local newspaper's photo gallery about the Aug.2019 visit of the NAGCR AGM to Hingham has 18 photos of people, tower, bells, etc.

Memorial Tower stands behind the Old Ship Church, at the entrance to the cemetery.  (The single bell in the church cupola is probably from the Hooper/Blake foundry of Boston.)

Where this work lies in the sequence of output of the Whitechapel bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all North American rings by pitch/weight.
Ranking among all North American rings by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American rings by year of completion.

Ranking among all North American chimes by size (number of bells).

Index to all tower bell instruments in MA.

   This page was built from the database on 18-Jan-20
   based on textual data last updated on 2020/01/14
   and on technical data last updated on 2008/10/02