The Brits and their gifts !

This building everyone is the National Carillon. I challenge all of you out there to drop me a line or send me a message if you know what this is. Aussies who live in Canberra excepted. Certainly I had never come across it and so we set off to explore this tall structure which lies on a small island called Aspen on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin. It is connected to the island by a little walk way. It was a gift to the people of Australia from the British Government to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Capital and it is a strange but wonderful gift and I am still wondering who conceived the idea and why. 

We walked over and stood below because we had heard bells being played like the Westminster chimes so we were curious to see where the chimes were coming from. 

There is no access to the Tower but we were standing below and we met a very nice Camberan, who was the husband of the woman who was playing the bells at that very moment. He was waiting to collect her. Her name is Lyn Fuller and she is a corillonist if that is the right word. She came down and met us, as well as a young boy who loved hearing the sound of the bells. She very kindly gave us a special tour - we went up in the lift and saw where the bells are played on a keyboard. Individual cables are linked to the bells which are then rung by iron clappers as the carillonist strikes each baton or pedal. 

The keyboard has wooden batons and pedals which are hit by the hand which is held in a fist. So you play a lot with your last finger and use your feet for the pedals. The little boy was delighted to have a go but the best was being given a private recital by Lyn who played a small piece she had composed herself. It is an energetic and demanding process and she comes to practice three times a week and gives recitals from time to time. She had seen an advert in the paper about it and was dubious about being able to do it, but soon realised she had all the necessary skills. Now she trains young carillonists. 

Carillons have a minimum of 23 bells. This one with 55 bronze bells is quite large. The bells each weigh between seven kilograms and six tonnes and we went up a floor to see one of the bigger ones. A separare mechanism operates the quarter hour of the striking of the Westminster chimes. With the tower rising some 50 meters, the sound of the bells drifts across the lake and through the parks. It is soothing and beautiful and seems to me to be an inspired gift but by whom and why I still do not know.