Swinging bells and peals
In the middle
ages, swinging bells were said to have magic powers. Bells did not only peal to summon faithful to church or to mourn the
dead, it was also believed that they could defy lightening or drive away the
plague.
Voicing feelings
For many people, swinging bells voice everyday feelings. In times of sorrow the bells sound
mournful, but the same bells can sound happy and joyful on feast days and
holidays. Another equally traditional function of the bell is to announce the time. Looking at a clock on a
tower, we expect the hour to be announced by the striking of a bell.
Valuable advice
The height and size of a tower usually determine the size and the number of bells it can
contain. As a bell-founder, Eijsbouts can offer valuable advice in this respect, especially bearing in mind the development undergone by bell towers in the last decades from closed stone constructions to open concrete, steel or wooden
constructions. It is essential to consider the great dynamic forces produced by swinging bells and the potential damage they can cause to the
tower. Eijsbouts is constantly keeping watch in this regard and dedicated to finding the correct
solution.
The largest swinging bell
It is difficult to say exactly how many swinging bells Eijsbouts has manufactured through the
years. Several exceptional commissions are worth mentioning, such as the seven large swinging bells for the Cathedral Tower in Utrecht (1982) which restored the sixteenth century Van Wou peal to its original state; the replacement for the cracked "Grandmère" in Maastricht; the manufacture of a replica weighing almost 7 tons of the striking bell in Santiago de Compostela cathedral in Spain, the four heavy swinging bells for the St. Kunibert Church in Cologne,
Germany, the imposing peal of six for the Basilica of St. Mary at Minneapolis, MN (USA) in 1998 and the 10-ton bell case in 1999 as part of the significant extension of the carillon of the Great Church at Dordrecht. This bell serves a double function as swinging bell and bourdon for the heaviest carillon in The
Netherlands.
The impressive 6-bell peal of the Basilica of St. Mary´s in Minneapolis, MN, USA.
