Women's War Memorial

*Location:

   City Hall
   Darling Street
   Cape Town,
     Province of the Western Cape,
       South Africa
   LL: S 33.92536, E 18.42382

Site locator map
City locator maps and gazetteer page

*Carillonist:

   Alexios Vicatos
   E: avicatos@hotmail.com

   1925Ap30 ded. Anton Brees
   1927-55 Jan Luyt jr.
   c.1953  Jacq G Vermaak
   Keith Jewell
   19??-20?? Donovan W. Baguley

*Contact:

   City Hall
   Darling Street
   Cape Town, Western Cape  8000
   T: 021 400 2230
   E: contactus@capetown.gov.za

*Schedule:

   (unknown)

*Remarks:

   First 5 bells installed 1905 as a clock
   chime (Cambridge/Westminster, with
   hour strike at the fifth).  Nine bells
   ordered in 1922, more in 1923
   (including present bourdon), 1924 and
   1925; all installed 1925, with
   mechanical drum for 12 bells by
   J.Smith & Sons, Derby, England.
   Keyboard has 9 dropped trebles for
   future expansion to four octaves;
   practice keyboard is complete.
   Report of addition of electric action
   in Nov.2010 is apparently false.

*Technical data:

   Traditional carillon of 39 bells
   Pitch of heaviest bell is B  in the bass octave
   Keyboard range:     C D   /    C G   
   Transposition is down 1 semitone(s), i.e., from C to B 
   There are no missing bass semitones
   There is a practice console
   The instrument was enlarged in 1954
     with bells made by Taylor       
   Prior history:
     In 1925, the instrument was begun with 37 bells
       by Taylor       (except for 5)
       Keyboard range was:     C C   /    C G   
   Auxiliary mechanisms: M12   
   Tower details not available
   Year of latest technical information source is unknown

The Stellenbosch University Library Digital Collections include a 46-page PDF (dated 2013) that provides a detailed background and history plus current description (text and photos) and full details of the bells. Unfortunately, all of the materials are strictly downloads -- there is no online viewer.

A peace carillon page has photos and additional information.

A description of the building (accompanied by a small photo) mentions the carillon.

Another brief description of the building provides more photos of it, two of which are clickable for large versions.

A bit of text about the city hall (in the context of museums).

A long news article (Mar.2020) about Alexios Vicatos includes a slide show of the Cape Town carillon, keyboard and belfry.

Photo of the 12-note transmission system from the fixed-pin drum

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 final phase of this work lies in the sequence of output of the Taylor bellfoundry, in this region and in the world.

Ranking among all traditional carillons in this region by pitch (weight).
Ranking among all traditional carillons in this region by size (number of bells).
Ranking among all traditional carillons in this region by year of completion.

Index to all traditional carillons in South Africa (ZA).

Index to all peace carillons worldwide.

Index to all tower bell instruments in South Africa (ZA).

   This page was built from the database on 14-Oct-24
   based on textual data last updated on 2023/08/16
   and on technical data last updated on 2023/08/16