History

Clocks

In 1872, Bonaventura Eijsbouts from Asten, laid the foundations for the present day Koninklijke (Royal) Eijsbouts. Originally trained as a watchmaker, his great enthusiasm for bells and clocks led Bonaventura to start a "factory for tower clocks" in a modest workshop behind his house. Thanks to the excellent quality and accuracy of his clocks, orders came thick and fast. Business quickly outgrew the workshop and in 1905 new premises were chosen. Having undergone several phases of alterations and extensions over the years, this complex continues to house the company as we know it today.   

The company in the year 1900

Bells

In 1893, the company was joined by Bonaventura's 15 year old son, Johan. Proving a more natural businessman than his father, Johan expanded the Eijsbouts product range by introducing striking and swinging bells. At that time, Eijsbouts did not have in-house casting facilities and had to purchase bells from reputable foundries abroad. From then on, Eijsbouts supplied and installed both tower clocks and pealing tower bells. 

Carillons

Another important development during the same period was the growing interest in carillons. As neither Dutch nor Flemish founders seemed to be able to manufacture sonorous and pure carillon bells, Johan Eijsbouts purchased his bells from the English founders, Taylor and Gillett & Johnston. Up until the Second World War, Eijsbouts installed countless carillons both at home and abroad. 

In-house bell foundry

In 1924, Johan's oldest son, Tuur Eijsbouts, joined the company. Like his grandfather, Tuur was technically-minded and inventive. He regarded the process of perfecting the carillon as a fully-fledged musical instrument as a tremendous challenge. It was Tuur who took the initiative to cast bells himself, although it took years of experimentation until an in-house bell foundry was finally installed in 1947. This formed the catalyst for the rapid growth of the company which quickly assumed a prominent position. 

Foreign markets

Tuur retired in 1962 to be succeeded by his brother Max with whom he had already shared the company's management for several years. Under Max's management the company acquired wide renown in foreign markets. On the occasion of the centenary celebrations in 1972, Eijsbouts was awarded the designation, "Royal", on the grounds of its quality and reliability. 

New developments

In 1976, after the death of Max, the daily management was turned over to someone outside the family for the first time. André Lehr was involved in the company from 1949 to 1990. During that time he succeeded in consolidating the progress initiated by Tuur, particularly in the cultural and historical sphere. He was also responsible for several new developments at Eijsbouts, such as the construction of moving figures and astronomical clocks. Most importantly, he introduced the computer as a tool in designing bells. Upon the departure of André Lehr in 1990, the general management was passed to Ger Minkman who served as the bridge figure to the time when a new generation of the Eijsbouts family would reassume the leadership of the company. Joost Eijsbouts, son of Max, Sr., has been general manager of the company since 1996, resuming a family tradition that now spans more than 125 years. 

Reputation and innovation

The first complete carillon, made in 1949 in the form of a travelling carillon, was of such excellent quality, that it established the name of Eijsbouts almost immediately within the small circle of carillon founders. Thanks to the reputation acquired since then, carillons cast in Asten have been installed worldwide. The most prominent of them include the carillon for St. Rombold's Tower in Mechelen (Belgium), and the largest carillon in Europe in Berlin (Germany). At Eijsbouts it has always been our consistent endeavour to perfect the products, while taking into account the user's specific requirements as far as possible. In spite of the traditional image of the product, the company does not hesitate to introduce new techniques and durable materials. In 1980, Eijsbouts was the first in the world to introduce a computer-operated automatic carillon, followed shortly afterwards by computer-designed bells such as the major third. A recent development by Eijsbouts is the "roller tumbler", which further refines the playing mechanism of the modern carillon. 

Welding of bells

Particularly in recent years, Eijsbouts has become more and more specialised in the welding of bells. This pertains both to repairing cracked bells (often historic) and to restoring strike spots that have been eroded by countless clapper strikes through the years, sometimes even centuries. These signs of wear are often so severe that the bell can only be restored by having new bronze welded to its worn areas. Clients are relying on this Eijsbouts speciality at a quickly increasing rate. The historic bells of the famous cathedral tower at Seville, Spain (El Giralda) were restored by Eijsbouts. Most of the bells had to be welded and tuning corrections were performed on some. 

Timekeepers in the public eye

In addition to carillons and swinging bells, tower clocks are still being made. The product has developed into a modern timepiece such as the sophisticated timekeepers for the Dutch Railway, the radio and civic towers. At an increasing rate, Eijsbouts supplies custom-made timepieces for clients throughout the world. 

Astronomical clocks