*Location:

   Chime tower
   Parish House garden
   St.Michael's Church (Episcopal)
   Hope and Church Streets
   Bristol, Rhode Island, USA
   LL: N 41.66900, W 71.27578

   Trinity Episcopal Church
   Bristol, Rhode Island, USA

Site locator map

*Player:

   Alexander S. Bauhart, Minister of Music,
     Organist and Choirmaster
   E: bauhart@aya.yale.edu

*Contact:

   St.Michael's Church
   *parcel:
     399 Hope Street
     Bristol, RI  02809
   *postal:
     PO Box 414
     Bristol, RI  02809-0414
   T: 401-253-7717  F: 401-253-7785
   E: rector@stmichaelsbristolri.org
      music@stmichaelsbristolri.org
      stmichaels@fullchannel.net

*Schedule:

   Daily (automatically) 1205-08 and
   1810-13.

*Remarks:

   Original 10 bells variously dated 1897,
   1899, 1900; added semitone was the
   flat 7th.  Sharp 4th added 1949.
   Tower of parish house (formerly chapel)
   has an 1877 Frederick Fuller bell,
   the eighth bought by this parish.

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard chime of 18 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is D# in the middle octave
   Transposition is unknown
   Keyboard range:     ----  /    ----  
   The arrangement of tones and semitones is unknown.
   The instrument was enlarged in 1988
     with bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Prior history:
     In 1961, the instrument was enlarged to 12 bells
       by Petit & Fritsen
       (1 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
       There were two added semitones
     In 1949, the instrument was enlarged to 11 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
       Transposition was nil (concert pitch)
       Keyboard range was:     D#G   /    ----  
       There was one added semitone
     In 1899, the instrument was begun with 10 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
       Keyboard range was:     D#F   /    ----  
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2002

The redesigned church Website no longer has any history.  But a Facilities page (under Visit Us) has a photo of the church building, one of the parish house, and one of the freestanding chime tower in the memorial garden; all are clickable for larger versions.  There is no longer any information about the bells.  The clock tower contains a 3200# bell cast in 1891 by Blake Bell Co. of Boston, MA.
The Parish House tower contains a bell weighing 826#, cast in 1877 by Frederick Fuller of Providence, RI.

Where the initial phase of this work (1897) lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.
Where the second phase of this work (1899-1900) lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Petit & Fritsen bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

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

Index to all tower bell instruments in RI.

   This page was built from the database on  4-Nov-23
   based on textual data last updated on 2010/10/01
   and on technical data last updated on 2002/07/26