27 Bells of Holy Trinity Church

Wed, Sep 16th 2020 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Callum MacLeod gave a virtual tour and played resounding tunes on the bells.

‹ › ×

Club members please log in for more information.

The Rotary Club of St Andrews was given a ‘resounding’ treat at its weekly meeting held by Zoom. Speaker was Callum McLeod, a man with many involvements. He is, for example, Chairman of the Community Council with title of ‘Provost’ and a member of the ‘Men’s Shed’. Today, he was talking about his role as player of the Clavier keyboard to the 27 bells of the Holy Trinity Tower. Thanks to Zoom, he spoke from what had once been the town jail and now houses the keyboard. Individual keys are connected by wire to a hammer, which strikes the appropriate bell. Callum then played tunes with local connections, such as ‘Chariots of Fire’. Wonderfully, members could see keys being pressed, hear the bells, and know the sound was ringing over the whole town! Callum took us, still via Zoom, up a bendy ladder to the next floor and displayed the bells supported by a steel structure. More was to come! He had special permission to open a tiny ‘Hobbit’ door, climb an old worn staircase and access the parapet of the tower. Despite fear of heights Callum used Zoom to give us panoramic views of the town and its surrounds. He was still there when Rotarian Ian Hamilton thanked Callum for his remarkable and resounding presentation, which had been appealing, without clanger, and on the bell!

The 27 bell carillon has been one of the few musical instruments in the country available for public performances during Covid -19 "lockdown".

The spiral staicase to the Tower built in 1410 and the curfew bell ringing handle at ground level show the history of the Tower where the carillon is played and the clock mechanism housed.

'What We Do' Main Pages: