Municipal Carillon

*Location:

   St.Nicholas' Church
   Back Wynd (off Union Street)
   Aberdeen, Grampian,
     (Aberdeenshire), Scotland
   OS Ref. TJ 939 087
   LL: N 57.14760, W 2.09940

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

*Carillonist:

   Ronald Leith, City Carillonneur
   23 King's Crescent
   Aberdeen, Grampian
   T: 01224/634 427

   1954-?? John Knox
   John Bevan-Baker
   19??-78 Robert Leys

*Contact:

   Miss Margaret Dundas
   New Vestry
   Back Wynd
   Aberdeen  AB10 1JZ
   T: 01224/643494
   E: office_enquiries@
        kirk-of-st-nicholas.org.uk

*Schedule:

   Sunday 1030-1055.  Special recitals on
   Doors Open Day (11-09-2004) at
   1015, 1130, 1245, 1300 and 1515.

*Remarks:

   The combined ring and chime of 1858,
   which was a mixture of new and old
   bells (mostly by Warner, 1815) with a
   flat 7th hung dead, was destroyed by
   fire in 1874.
   The bass bell (which was a sub-bourdon
   from 1952 to 1954) swings by motor.
   Expansion of 1954 was composed of
   6 basses and 5 trebles.
   Chime action (keyboard and barrel) on
   12 diatonic basses plus two semitones.
   Major renovation by Taylor in 1994.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 48 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is G# in the bass octave
   Keyboard range:     C C   /    ----  
   Transposition is down 4 semitone(s), i.e., from C to G#
   There is one missing bass semitone
   There is a practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 1954
     with 11 bells made by Gillett & Johnston
   Prior history:
     In 1952, all bells were recast or replaced
       with bells made by Gillett & Johnston
       (37 bells were added in and/or remain from that work.)
       Keyboard range was: (C) G G   /    ----  
       Transposition was up  1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to C#
     In 1887, the instrument was begun with 36 bells
       by vanAerschodt
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was A# in the bass octave
       There were two missing bass semitones
     In 1858, a complete instrument of  9 bells was installed
       with bells made by the maker cited in Remarks above
       (0 bells remain from that work.)
       Pitch of heaviest bell was D# in the middle octave
       Keyboard range was:     ROPE 8/    ----  
       There was one added semitone
   Auxiliary mechanisms: W1I14E
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is 2004

ChurchWebsite

British Carillon Society page, with 8 photos

The first phase of this work, the 1858 mixture, is not indexed by foundry.
Where the second phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the van Aerschodt bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.
Where the third phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Gillett & Johnston 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.

Where the bass bell of this carillon ranks among all great bells in the British Isles.

Index to all traditional carillons in this region.

Index to all tower bell instruments in Scotland.

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2022/06/22
   and on technical data last updated on 2004/09/21