*Location:

   St.Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran
     Church (ELCA)
   King Street at former Tobacco Street
   (Marion Square)
   Charleston, South Carolina, USA
   LL: N 32.78678, W 79.93713

Site locator map

*Player:

   Doug Ludlum, Music Director
   T: 843-452-8504
   E: ludlum9834@aol.com

*Contact:

   St.Matthew's Church
   405 King Street
   Charleston, SC  29403-0646
   T: 843-723-1611   F: 843-723-8050

*Schedule:

   Cambridge (Westminster) quarters, but
   without pause between phrases.

*Remarks:

   Original bells survived a major fire in
   1965; expansion occurred in the
   course of rebuilding.  Added semitones
   are flat 7th (original) and octave
   sharp 4th (new).  Electric keyboard
   beside organ console at center of
   rear balcony.
   2008:  Rehung by Christoph Paccard
   Bellfoundries, with tenor now swingable.

*Technical data:

   Electric-keyboard chime of 13 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is E  in the middle octave
   Transposition is nil (concert pitch)
   Keyboard range:     E A#  /    NONE  
   There are two added semitones
   The instrument was enlarged in 1965
     with bells made by Petit & Fritsen
   Prior history:
     In 1901, the instrument was begun with 10 bells
       by Meneely/Wvlt
       Keyboard range was:     E F#  /    ----  
       There was one added semitone
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details: 
     Height of console:                  8 meters above ground
     Height of lowest level of bells:   40 meters above ground
     Height of highest level of bells:  40 meters above ground
     Belfry openness:  85%
   Year of latest technical information source is 2003

The church Website has a small photo of the tower on the home page, and larger photos in the Photo Gallery (see the section on Steeple and Clock Repair).  The bells are no longer mentioned at all.  (There used to be a History page which mentioned the installation of the original bells as well as the fire of 1965, but didn't mention the expansion of the chime or the fact that the bells miraculously survived the fire.)

Where the initial phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Meneely (Watervliet) bellfoundry.
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 SC.

   This page was built from the database on  4-Nov-23
   based on textual data last updated on 2008/11/13
   and on technical data last updated on 2007/03/11