Press Room

The Bourdon bell at Washington National Cathedral will toll 700 times this evening in honor of the 700,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began early last year. Each sounding of the bell, one toll for every 1,000 people, will ripple across the skies of Washington in solemn remembrance. The tolling will begin at 5:00pm local time and is expected to last approximately 70 minutes.

A new park surrounding a historic bell tower has just opened to the public in Salisbury, North Carolina. After more than two years of construction (ground breaking for the project was Aug. 3, 2019) and over four years of planning and private fundraising to amass more than $13 million, construction barriers have finally come down on Bell Tower Green.

Greater vaccine adoption across England means that the beleaguered City of London is finally able to reopen. COVID-19 restrictions across the city are being eased and people are gathering together again. Certainly reason to celebrate!

This June 26 marks the 200th anniversary of Rev. Henry Thomas Ellacombe’s invention of a mechanism that allowed a single person to ring a set of tower bells. Two centuries ago, the good reverend sat in his study and lamented the unruly, disobedient, and downright drunkard behavior of the local troupe of change ringers. He had a mind to do something about it.

The pandemic has left many grieving hearts in its wake. Those in the business of making bells felt this all too keenly this spring when Luigi Bergamo, 76, former director of the Cornille-Havard bell foundry in Villedieu-les-Poêles and a titan of campanology, succumbed to complications from COVID-19.

Whitechapel Bell Foundry, Britain’s oldest factory, shut its doors in 2017 and a fight for its future has been raging ever since. The foundry had been casting bronze bells in London since 1570. Big Ben was made there in 1858. The Liberty Bell was made there in 1752. Over the centuries, bells from Whitechapel had made their way all over the world. Some 500 Whitechapel tower bells can be found in Australia, 600 in the US, and at least 900 in Canada.

Congratulations to Australia's inaugural Festival of Bells! The event centered around Bathurst's recently-upgraded and now world-class War Memorial Carillon. Music, celebrations, ceremony, and family events brought this wonderful structure to life. Opened in the 1930s on Kings' Parade, Bathurst’s carillon is the centerpiece of the city and one of only three carillons in Australia – the other two are at Sydney University in Sydney and Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

As the longest-serving royal consort in British history, HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, provided vital, continuous support to Her Majesty The Queen and the Commonwealth for almost three quarters of a century. His passing at age 99 punctuates a life lived in service to the Crown and the entire United Kingdom.

Today, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation directing the flag of the United States to be flown at half-staff in remembrance of the more than 500,000 Americans who have died from the virus COVID-19. As flags are lowered, he will be joined at sunset by the First Lady, the Vice President, and the Second Gentleman for a moment of silence at the White House. Flags are to remain at half-staff until sunset on February 26, 2021.

The Carillon Beach Institute is a non-profit organization founded to enrich the lives of the citizens of Carillon Beach, Florida, and to positively impact the surrounding panhandle and Gulf Coast communities. The Institute blends architecture and urbanism with the humanities to act as a catalyst for culture. Through concerts, lectures, symposia, events, and conferences, the Institute supports philanthropic initiatives in the areas of wellness, art, the environment, and children.