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An Apollonaut travel guide
The bells behind the glass.
Royal bells from London, a tower built to hold them and a bell for the ANZACs offer several ways into the story of the Bell Tower.
On this page
Royal bells
The twelve St Martin’s bells were recast between 1725 and 1770 by the Rudhall family, on the order of the Prince of Wales who became King George II. The tower describes them as one of the few sets of royal bells, and the only one known to have left England.
They came to Western Australia for the 1988 bicentenary, joined by six new bells from the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
A tower on the river
Completed in 2000, the 82.5-metre tower was designed by the Perth firm Hames Sharley, with 30-metre copper sails enclosed in glass. It cost A$5.5 million, and some in Perth criticised it at first; fifteen years on, Heritage Perth called it a success that drew visitors and bell ringers.
The History page offers a longer introduction, and the timeline gives a short route through selected milestones.
The ANZAC Bell
The Great ANZAC Bell is a memorial to Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, including those who served in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping.
It first rang on 11 November 2018, a hundred years after the Armistice, and is rung each day at midday.
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Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
