Evesham Bell Tower Carillon - Evesham Abbey - Evesham, Worcestershire - Carillon on Waymarking.com

Bell tower and Carillon at Evesham Abbey with a 'playlist' of 54 tunes

Additional information - Also extra treble and 6b

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"For over 120 years the people of Evesham heard tunes played on the bells in the Bell Tower five times a day and generations of Evesham folk were brought up to the sound of “Drink to Me Only” on Wednesdays and Barbara Allen on Fridays. If you were lucky and someone had changed the drum which controlled the tunes you might have heard the Eton Boating Song on Wednesdays. There were two drums with pins much like musical boxes each designed to play seven tunes.

Over the years the mechanism with wires and springs and pulleys had became very worn despite frequents and expensive repair and towards the end of the 20th century the sounds coming out of the tower weren't recognisable as any identifiable tune. It had to be disconnected. Many people were very concerned at the loss of something that had been part of the life of Evesham since 1878 and the All Saints’ Parochial Church Council (which has responsibility for the Bell Tower) together with the Friends of the Church and Bell Tower undertook the  restoration of the Carillon. An appeal for funds received immediate and considerable support from a great many people and from most of the town's organisations.

The restoration Over a period of three years the restoration committee considered several possible replacement mechanisms finally accepting a proposal by Messrs Joyce of  Whitchurch. Each of the 14 bells in the tower has a separate designated hammer  operated electronically from a control box in the Vestry of All Saints Church.

The total cost of the project involving removal of the old mechanism and considerable electrical and construction work was over £35,000. This sum came from donations: from local and national charities, local organisations and many individuals. No contribution was available from the Heritage Lottery Fund. The two largest single contributors were the Friends of the Church and Bell Tower who raised and contributed over £14,000 and Wychavon District Council who gave over £11,000  from the Market Towns rejuvenation project.

Dedication The Bishop of  Worcester, Rt Rev’d. Dr Peter Selby, dedicated the restored carillon in March 2002 and it was set into operation on Easter Day by Peggy Burlingham whose late husband Richard had been largely responsible for the previous restoration of Tower and Carillon in 1951.

The present As the number of bells in the Bell Tower had grown from the original 8 in 1878 to the present 14 the restoration gave considerable scope for an increase in the number  of tunes. But as the 14 notes do not cover all the notes and intervals in a musical scale some tunes that were considered could not be programmed.  54 tunes were selected and are now available with great variety and through the opportunity of programming different tunes may be played at different times during any one day. It's all thanks to modem electronic technology.

The tunes are arranged in 9 different weekly programs some of which reflect the various Church seasons - Easter, Harvest, Christmas. The programs contain old and modern popular hymn tunes (some quite recent ones) and traditional folk tunes.  A piece composed by Edward Elgar called the Evesham Andante has also been included. It is believed that Elgar wrote this for a group in Evesham and played with them. Its inclusion among the tunes played by the carillon is a tribute to him and is now heard regularly in the town for which it was written.

In addition to the facility to play any of these tunes by request the mechanism  it is possible to get it to play the Angelus, to toll for funerals and services and to vary the frequency of the chiming and speed of playing.

At present the Carillon plays tunes on the hour at every hour from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. It is temporarily disconnected in the Bell Tower when the bells are being rung by bell-ringers.

The clock in the Bell Tower is controlled by the national time-base and may be assumed to be absolutely correct at all times (except when it pauses for automatic adjustment for British Summer time).

EVESHAM BELL TOWER TUNE LISTING  -

A MAN THERE LIVED IN GALILEE
ABIDE WITH ME 
ALL PEOPLE THAT ON EARTH DO DWELL
ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT                          
AMAZING GRACE
ASH GROVE       
AT THE NAME OF JESUS              
AULD LANG SYNE                           
AWAY IN A MANGER                      
BARBARA ALLEN
BLUE BELLS OF SCOTLAND         
BROTHER JAMES AIR                    
COME YE THANKFUL PEOPLE COME       
DEAR LORD AND FATHER OF MANKIND
DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH                 
DRINK TO ME ONLY                       
EARLY ONE MORNING
ETON BOATING SONG                  
EVESHAM ANDANTE      
FOR ALL THE SAINTS      
FORTY DAYS     
GIVE ME JOY     
GLORY TO THEE              
GOOD CHRISTIAN MEN REJOICE              
HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING            
HEARTS OF OAK                             
HIGHLAND CATHEDRAL                
HOME SWEET HOME                     
IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER           
IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR          
JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY 
JESUS GOOD ABOVE ALL OTHER
LET US WITH A GLADSOME MIND
LIFT HIGH THE CROSS   
LINDEN LEA                      
LOCH LOMOND                
LONDONDERRY AIR                      
LORD FOR THE YEARS  
LORD’S MY SHEPHERD  
LOVE DIVINE ALL LOVE'S EXCELLING
MEN OF HARLECH                         
MORNING HAS BROKEN
NEW EVERY MORNING
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL                          
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT                 
OVER THE HILLS AND FAR AWAY
SILENT NIGHT                  
THE DAY THOU GAVEST
THE FIRST NOWELL                       
THE KING OF LOVE         
THE LORD IS RISEN INDEED        
UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN                         
YE CHOIRS OF NEW JERUSALEM"

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