The Wallace Carillon

*Location:

   Christ Church Cranbrook (Episcopal)
   Cranbrook Road at Lone Pine Road
   Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
   LL: N 42.56695, W 83.24387

Site locator map

*Carillonist:

   Jenny L. King   (C)
   849 Rivard Boulevard
   Grosse Pointe, MI  48230-1256
   H: 313-343-0698   W: 313-343-0698
   E: dwjk06@comcast.net

   1928-64 (not researched)
   1964-88 Beverly Buchanan   (C)
   1988-91 Don Cook   (C)
   1991-?? Phillip E. Burgess

*Contact:

   Christ Church Cranbrook   (A)
   Attn: Jenny King
   *parcel:
     470 Church Road
     Bloomfield Hills, MI  48304
   *postal:
     PO Box 801
     Bloomfield Hills, MI  48303-0801
   T: 248-644-5210   F: 248-644-0148
   E: church@christchurchcranbrook.org

*Schedule:

   for Sunday services

*Remarks:

   13 duplicate trebles disconnected after
   1948; disposition unknown.  Most
   of the 33 trebles removed in 1978 went
   to  PHILIPPI, USA - WV, but one is
   not accounted for.
   Ellacombe stand on 8 bells (same as
   C-C diatonic on pedal keyboard).
   Major renovation late 1994, with new
   Watson/Verdin keyboards.
   Previous practice console had 4 1/2
   octave capacity, with extra bass pedals
   in storage; Bb pedal was installed when
   transposition of playing keyboard
   was changed in 1978 enlargement.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 50 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is A# in the bass octave
   Keyboard range:     C C 49/    A#C 26
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   There is one missing bass semitone
   The presence or absence of a practice console is unknown
   14 bells were recast or replaced in 2001
     by Meeks,Watson 
   Prior history:
     In 1994, the keyboard was replaced
       by the maker cited in Remarks above
     In 1978, the instrument was enlarged to 50 bells
       by Taylor      
       (21 bells remain from that work.)
     In 1928, the instrument was begun with 48 bells
       by Taylor      
       (15 bells remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C C 24
       Transposition was down 2 semitone(s), i.e., from C to A#
   Auxiliary mechanisms: L8    
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                 27 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   34 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:   . meters above ground
     Belfry openness:   .%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2002

The church Website includes a good picture of the tower among the sequence of those presented on the home page.  In the Music section, an Instruments page presents some information about the instrument and its distinctive history, but erroneously reports the original size as 46 bells.

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meeks & Watson bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

This is one of only eight carillons which were originally equipped with Taylor's doubled trebles.

Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by weight.
Ranking among all North American traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all North American concert class carillons by year of completion.

Other concert carillons with similar keyboard ranges.

Index to all traditional carillons in MI.

Index to all tower bell instruments in MI.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2015/09/09
   and on technical data last updated on 2007/11/01