Clocks, Bells, Sundials and a complete working
set of Tubular bells are just some of the pieces in this historic
collection.
Its About Time is an exciting new collection for
you to see at Swan Bells.
We have amassed a fascinating array of precision
timepieces, bells and optical instruments that demonstrate how time
was kept in the mechanical era before the 'world went digital'.
It's time you rediscovered the Swan Bells. Bring
your family, bring your friends, bring your visitors to one of WA's
most visited tourist attractions, the Swan Bells.
The Swan Bells is one of the world's largest
musical instruments.
The Swan Bells include the twelve bells of St
Martin-in-the-Fields which are recorded as being in existence from
before the 14th century and recast in the 16th century by Queen
Elizabeth I. The bells were again recast between 1725 and 1770 by
three generations of the Rudhall family of bell founders from Gloucester
in England.
From one of London’s most famous churches in Trafalgar Square,
the St Martin-in-the-Fields bells have rung out to celebrate many
historic events.
England’s victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588, the homecoming
of Captain James Cook after his voyage of discovery in 1771 and
the World War II victory at El Alamein in 1942 are just a few of
the momentous occasions marked by the bells.
The bells have also rung in the New Year at Trafalgar Square for
more than 275 years, and have celebrated the coronation of every
British monarch since King George II in 1727.
Children the world over have often sung of the bells in the popular
nursery rhyme, Oranges and Lemons - “You owe me five farthings
say the bells of St Martins”.
How The Bells Came To Perth
Commemorating Australia’s bicentenary in
1988, the twelve bells of St Martin-in-the-Fields as well as five
specially cast bells were presented to the University of Western
Australia, the City of Perth and to the people of Western Australia.
The London diocese of the Church of England and the parish of St
Martin-in-the-Fields gave authority for the project to proceed.
The additional bells cast in 1988 include one from the City of London
with help given by the City of Westminster, and a total of three
bells bestowed by a consortium of British and Australian mining
companies.
Completing the ring of eighteen bells, a sixth new bell was commissioned
by the Western Australian Government to mark the second millennium.