Our Towers

Cast by the famous Whitechapel Bellfoundry in London, the bells date from 1881 (seven bells purchased from St Mary's Basilica, Sydney in 1985), 1992 (the 1448kg tenor in D flat) and 1995 (the light bells completing this ring of twelve).In 1992 Miss Lena Lewis donated the cost of retuning the bells, casting a tenor and providing a frame for 13 bells and fittings. Her estate later funded the casting of the trebles, including sharp second. The bells were first rung in 1996; the first peal of Maximus in Adelaide was rung in 1997, conducted by Philip Goodyer.

Cast at the Whitechapel Bellfoundry by Mears and Stainbank in 1886 this Village Six with a 655kg tenor in F are a key landmark in Walkerville and the bells are a distinctive sound on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.St Andrew's Church is a popular wedding venue, and bells add to the sense of occasion.The bells were rehung in 1951 on ball bearings as they had become progressively harder to ring on plain bearings. The first peal was rung in 1952. The lack of clock faces to the North East and North West reflect the undeveloped farmland in these directions until relatively recently.

Cast by Taylors of Loughborough in 1971, this octave with a 572kg tenor in G was purchased through a bequest from Mrs H.M. Ward.The first peal on the bells was rung in 1975. In 1994 a record length of 17280 Spliced Surprise Major (7 methods) was rung here (Philip Goodyer, tenor) in just under 10 hours.The original campanile (free-standing belltower) design was simplified to save costs and the bells have no inscriptions. The campanile was completed in its current form designed by Tower Captain Anne Haskard in 2004.This modern, light and musical octave is easy to ring and they are a popular peal venue.

Cast by Warner in 1865, this octave with a 692kg tenor in F is the oldest ring of bells in Adelaide. The tower is named for Prince Albert, while the GPO clock tower opposite is named for Queen Victoria.
After falling into disuse, an effort was made to get the bells into ringing order in 1963-1965, before rehanging in situ in 1981. The first peal was rung in 1984. A competing bellfoundry was scathing in their report of 1935, but we are fond of our historic civic ring of bells:
they were cast by a firm of engineers who specialised in the manufacture of pumps, and who gave up bell-founding some years ago... They are discordant in tone and out of tune with each other...(R.F.A. Housman, Gillett & Johnson Ltd, 1935)

Proposed in 2011 and opened in 2013, the Adelaide Ringing Centre is a world leading ringing training centre, housed in the right/east tower, with a 'ring' of 8 dumb-bells connected to computer simulators to allow training in groups of 1, 2, 4 or 8 individuals.
The Adelaide Ringing Centre is used to train ringers for all of Adelaide's bell towers and is a valuable resource available to all of ANZAB.