The George Cadbury Memorial Carillon
     (The Bournville Carillon)

*Location:

   School Tower
   Linden Road (A4040) at Sycamore Road
     (on the village green)
   Bournville,
     South Birmingham,
       West Midlands (Worcestershire),
         England
   OS Ref. SP 044 812
   LL: N 52.42946, W 1.93649

Site locator map
City locator maps and gazetteer page (County is wrong; other data are correct.)

*Carillonist:

   Trevor Workman, Carillonneur,
     Bournville Village Trust
   45 Elizabeth Road
   Moseley
   Birmingham  B13 8QH
   T: 21/449 3455
   E: recitalbel@blueyonder.co.uk

   1906-24 Harry Withers (1875-1949)
   1924-65 Clifford Ball (1899-1986)
   1969-2012 Raymond Aldington,
     Assistant Carillonneur  (1939-2012)

*Contact:

   Bournville Village Trust
   Bournville Estate Office
   Oak Tree Lane
   Bournville, Birmingham  B30 1UB
   T: 0121/472 3831   F: 0121/414 1348
   E: enquiries@bvt.org.uk
   - or -
   Bournville Carillon
   E: info/@/bournvillecarillon.co.uk

*Schedule:

   Saturdays 1200 and 1500;
   Christmas Eve carol sing 6pm.
   Guildford Quarters strike on 8 bells
   (including the hour).
   Visitor Centre open Wed-Sat 1130-1630.

*Remarks:

   Original 2-octave compass omitted
   F#,G#,C#.  First 4-octave keyboard had
   5 dropped treble keys and 2 dropped
   bass semitones on the manual; pedalboard
   had sprung dummies for missing C#,D#.
   New clappers, transmission & keyboard
   by Taylor, 1988.
   Summer 2023: frame repaired, basses
   rehung on new headstocks; clavier and
   transmission refurbished.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 48 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is A# in the bass octave
   Transposition is down 2 semitone(s)
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    C G   
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is a non-identical practice console
   25 bells were recast or replaced in 2015
     by Taylor       
   Prior history:
     In 1988, the keyboard was replaced
       by the maker cited in Remarks above
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C C 24
     In 1934, the instrument was enlarged to 48 bells
       by Gillett & Johnston
       (19 bells remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C G   
     In 1925, the instrument was enlarged to 42 bells
       by Taylor      
       (3 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was C  in the middle octave
       Transposition was nil (concert pitch)
       Keyboard range was:     C G   /    C G   
       There were two missing bass semitones
     In 1923, the instrument was enlarged to 37 bells
       by Taylor      
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was F  in the middle octave
       There were no missing bass semitones
     In 1906, the instrument was begun with 22 bells
       by Taylor      
       (1 bells remain from that work.)
       The arrangement of tones and/or semitones
         was non-standard; see Remarks above.
   No auxiliary mechanisms known
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2022

The carillon's own Website has several pages of history, sound samples, photographs, etc.

Taylor news article (Oct.2023) on major rebuilding work; another on its completion

Video (1:06) of Trevor Workman playing the Bournville carillon on New Years Eve 2021; with views of the keyboard, the bells, and the illuminated belfry.

British Carillon Society page

Stock photo

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 third 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 Gillett & Johnston bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all British Isles traditional carillons by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all British Isles traditional carillons by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all British Isles traditional carillons by year of completion.

Index to all traditional carillons in this region.

Index to all tower bell instruments in England.

   This page was built from the database on  9-Feb-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2024/02/06
   and on technical data last updated on 2022/06/22