Temporary, relocated or defunct
European tower bell instruments

Some carillons and chimes in Europe were installed temporarily in expositions or fairs of various kinds.  Many of these were later reinstalled elsewhere.  Other carillons were relocated from their original places of installation for various reasons.  And some have been destroyed, stolen or otherwise lost, and were not replaced.  There are no data pages for such sites, so they cannot be indexed in the same manner as extant instruments.  Hence this page.

The lists below present, in appropriate orders, the original locations of such instruments, without distinction between traditional and non-traditional mechanisms.

NOTE:  This page includes sites in Belgium, Denmark, France and the Netherlands, which for existing instruments are indexed separately.  There are separate pages of this type for the British Isles and Germany.

EXPOSITIONS:

Carillons known to have been part of various European exhibitions or expositions are listed in approximately chronological order, with links to their current locations when known:

1878
Exposition Universelle, Paris, France
The carillon built by Bollée of LeMans for the Cathédrale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Perpignan, was exhibited here before installation.

1923
Exposition Pasteur, Strasbourg, 67 Bas-Rhin (Alsace), France
The Causard foundry exhibited a 25-bell carillon of unknown weight.  Afterwards it was moved, but its destination is unknown.

1958
World's Fair, Brussels, Belgium
For this event, carillons were installed here by Petit & Fritsen (47 bells, in the Dutch Pavilion), Vanbergen (unknown number of bells, in unknown location), and Eijsbouts (unknown number of bells, in the Belgian Village).  All were removed after the Fair.
- Two octaves of the P&F carillon were temporarily installed at the Utrecht Industries' Fair (Netherlands) in 1959 (see below); the remainder went to Arnhem, Netherlands (St.Eusebiustoren).
- The Eijsbouts carillon was installed in the Belgian Monument at Amersfoort, Netherlands.
- The disposition of the Vanbergen carillon is unknown; it is identified in the database as 
        BRUSSELS - WF        : BELGIUM

(1959)
Utrecht Industries' Fair, Utrecht, Netherlands
(See under Relocations, below.)

So far, we have found no records of chimes being displayed at any European expositions before installation elsewhere.

RELOCATIONS:

Carillons which have been moved from their original city or structure of installation to another place are listed in order by city name, with links to their current locations when known:
Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry, Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands
A 38-bell mobile carillon was cast by this foundry in 1960.  Within a few years, the bells were dismounted and installed with electric-automatic action (only) in a church in the same city, where they remain.

(Uncertain), Douai, 59 Nord, France
The Paccard foundry supplied a 49-bell mobile carillon by 1981, and expanded it to 50 bells in 1989, but ownership was unclear.  In 2005 it was dismantled, and the bells were installed in the City Hall of Dordrecht, NL.

A.Schweitzer Memorial Tower, Libingen, Switzerland.
In 1967, a 60-bell carillon was installed here by Petit & Fritsen; this was by far the largest and heaviest carillon in Switzerland.  In 1981-2, the carillon was moved to Chateaurenard, France, and in 1990 all of the bells except the largest (which had been cast by a different founder) were put into a traveling carillon for Papageno, and based in Switzerland.  This traveling carillon was later sold, and was for many years based on a private estate in Soest, Netherlands.  When last seen, this carillon was parked in the storage yard of the Eijsbouts bellfoundry in Asten, Netherlands.

Utrecht Industries' Fair, Utrecht, Netherlands
Two octaves of the P&F carillon from the World's Fair (see 1958, above) were installed here in 1959.  In 1969, they were sold back to the manufacturer, and later went to Hulst, Netherlands. 
(Note that this was a permanent installation, not an exhibit.)

Chimes which have been moved from their original city or structure of installation to another place are listed in order by city name,

Aalborg, Denmark
The Falken restaurant had a very light 12-bell automatic chime from Eijsbouts on its façade from 1973 to 2002, when it was acquired by the Danish Bell Museum.

Vleuten, Netherlands
The Music School had a lightweight 12-bell automatic chime by Eijsbouts from 1973 to 2002, when its bells were donated to became the basis for a small carillon at Kasteel de Haar in nearby Haarzuilens.

DEFUNCT:

Carillons which no longer exist (and were not replaced) are listed in order by city name:

Petit & Fritsen Bellfoundry, Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands
A 35-bell mobile carillon was cast by this foundry in 1965, presumably as a replacement for the previous such instrument (see above).  This carillon no longer exists, and its disposition is unknown.  This site is identified in the database as 
        AARLE-RIXTEL - Mobile : NETHERLANDS

Addicks tower clock works, Amsterdam, Netherlands
A set of 23 bells (carillon-sized, but possibly never set up as a carillon) was supplied by Taylor in 1928, apparently for use as sales stock.  (Addicks was then representing Taylor in the Netherlands.)  The bells were sold off piecemeal, and for a time were replaced by Taylor.  The destinations of some of them are known.  This site is identified in the database as 
        AMSTERDAM - A        : NETHERLANDS

St.Martin's Church, Annoeullin, 59 Nord, France
In 1903, Bollée installed a 23-bell carillon here (details unknown).  The bells were taken in World War I (1917), and were not replaced.

Abbey of St.Winoc, Bergues (St.Winoksbergen), 59 Nord, France
In 1628, an unknown founder installed (or completed) a 24-bell carillon, which no longer exists.  The details of the instrument and its actual disposition are unknown.  It was replaced by a carillon of 35 bells and a peal of 5 bells (bass 8.5 tonnes) which were cast by Pierre & Toussaint Cambron in 1700-01; all were destroyed in the Revolution of 1791.  This site is identified in the database as 
        BERGUES-ST.WINOC - A : FRANCE - 59

Church, Bouchain, 59 Nord, France
In 1758, Corsin (Lille) cast a 37-bell carillon, which was destroyed in World War I.  William Gorham Rice, writing in 1925, evidently thought that this instrument was being repaired; but no further evidence of such work has come to light.

St.Nicholas Church, Brussels, Belgium
By 1642, the city-owned 38-bell carillon installed here by unknown founder(s) was the largest in the Low Countries.  In 1662 it was replaced with 38 bells by François Hemony; that carillon was destroyed by war in 1695.  In 1714, a new carillon of the same size was installed in the rebuilt tower by Witlockx & de Haze (10 basses by Willem Witlockx + 28 trebles by Melchior de Haze), but that was destroyed in July of the same year when the tower collapsed.  This site is identified in the database as 
        BRUSSELS - STN       : BELGIUM

Broodhuis, Grote Markt, Brussels, Belgium
The fourth city-owned carillon, of 49 bells and rather light weight, was installed here by Causard in 1895; it proved to be entirely unsatisfactory, and was removed in 1898.  This site is identified in the database as 
        BRUSSELS - B         : BELGIUM

Town Hall, Calais-Sud (Saint-Pierre), 62 Pas-de-Calais, France
A 25-bell carillon installed in 1925 by Paccard was destroyed in World War II.

S.Niklaaskerk, Diksmuide, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
A 32-bell carillon of unknown date and origin was destroyed by war in 1914.

Church, Enkhuizen, Noord Holland, Netherlands
In 1947, Percival Price's survey of carillons in post-war Europe reported that a church in this town held a carillon of 37 bells made by Michiels in 1930.  However, no subsequent evidence of such an instrument has been found.  It is not yet known whether the reference should have been to a town in another place.  This site is identified in the database as 
        ENKHUIZEN - K        : NETHERLANDS

Baudeloo Abbey, Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
In 1664, Pieter Hemony cast a 27-bell carillon for this place.  It seems to have survived until the early 20th century, but was dispersed some time after WW II, with 8 bells going into the Belfort carillon.  The disposition of the other bells is currently unknown.  This site is identified in the database as 
        GENT - UL            : BELGIUM

Sint-Baafskathedraal, Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen, Belgium
In 1540, this tower had a 10-bell chime.  By 1636, the instrument had been expanded to 31 bells.  In 1724, most of them were replaced to form a carillon of 41 bells.  But by 1797, it was inoperable, and in 1803 almost all of the carillon bells were sold.  What remains is two great bells from 1636, two other bells from 1725, and three modern bells.  This site is identified in the database as 
        GENT - C             : BELGIUM

Traveling Carillon, Heiligerlee, Limburg, Netherlands
This carillon, of unknown size and age, was made by Vanbergen, possibly for use as a public relations tool.  Presumably the bells (or the whole instrument) were sold before the foundry closed in 1980, though their destination is unknown. This site is identified in the database as 
        HEILIGERLEE - Mobile : NETHERLANDS

Vanbergen Foundry, Heiligerlee, Limburg, Netherlands
In 1968, a lightweight carillon of 37 bells (three octaves fully chromatic) was installed by Vanbergen in an open-frame tower at the bellfoundry.  Presumably the bells were sold before the foundry closed in 1980, because the empty tower was later photographed; their destination is unknown. This site is identified in the database as 
        HEILIGERLEE - VB/1   : NETHERLANDS

Benedictine abbey church, Maredsous, Namur, Belgium
This place has never had a chime or carillon.  But it does have a derelict console for a 23-bell carillon; this was built (or acquired) in 1943 as part of an unsuccessful plot to prevent the authorities of the German occupation from taking the bells.  There is an ACW article on the 6-bell peal here, with a photo of the console accompanying the story.  See also our entry for the great bell here.

Church, Merville, 59 Nord, France
A 37-bell carillon of unknown date and origin was destroyed in World War I.  William Gorham Rice, writing in 1925, evidently thought that this instrument was being restored; but no further evidence of such work has come to light.

Convent, Mont-Saint-Odile, France
A carillon of unknown date and size was taken during World War II. 

Église de la Vierge, Montaigu, Belgium
In 1642, deSany's survey reported a 33-bell carillon here, which he described as being the second-largest in the Low Countries.  Its origin and eventual disposition are unknown, as is the location of this town.

St.Peter Church, Riga, Latvia
In 1694, C.Fremy constructed a 28-bell carillon of unknown weight.  It was destroyed by fire in 1721, and was not replaced.

Beurs (Bourse), Rotterdam, Zuid Holland, Netherlands
In 1660, a carillon of 27 bells was made by Hemony for the Stadhuis (City Hall).  In 1829, it was moved from the Stadhuis to the Beurs.  It was destroyed by bombing on 14 May 1940.  This site is identified in the database as 
        ROTTERDAM - B        : NETHERLANDS

Sint Josefskerk (or Heuvelsekerk), Tilburg, Netherlands
In 1925, Gillett & Johnston delivered a 37-bell carillon based on D in the middle octave, probably replacing an older instrument of which little is known.  These bells were installed by Eijsbouts (not yet a bellfounder), and then were stolen in 1943.  This site is identified in the database as 
        TILBURG - STJ        : NETHERLANDS

Church, Torhout, Belgium
In 1914, and again in 1925, William Gorham Rice reported that a carillon of unspecified size, made by J. du Mery, was in a church in Thorout (Thourhout), Belgium.  Such a place name does not exist, but it is very similar to Torhout (anciently spelled Thourout), in which the tower of Sint-Pietersbandenkerk was destroyed by bombardment in World War II.  Thus this instrument is tentatively presumed to have been located there, and to exist no longer.

Bourse, Tourcoing (Toerkonje), 59 Nord, France
A 28-bell carillon of unknown weight was supplied by Wauthy in 1912, but was taken in 1917.

Belfry, Valenciennes, 59 Nord, France
An ancient 30-bell carillon of unknown origin was partially destroyed when the belfry collapsed in 1843; the remainder survived until 1914.

(Unknown), Ysselmonde, Netherlands
In 1925, William Gorham Rice (a usually reliable source) reported the existence of a carillon in this place, giving the name of the carillonist and the recital schedule.  This town cannot now be identified, though there is a Dutch island named IJsselmonde.  Until the mystery is solved, this entry will remain.

Chimes and chime-sized instruments which no longer exist (and were not replaced) are listed in order by city name:

Museum Klok & Peel, Asten, Netherlands
A lightweight 10-bell chime with baton keyboard, made 1n 1982 by Eijsbouts, was later dismantled; its disposition is unknown.  This site is identified in the database as 
        ASTEN - NBM/3        : NETHERLANDS

St.Martin Church, Bergues, France
A 12-bell chime, cast by Esquelbecq in 1586, does not survive; its disposition is unknown.

Halletoren, Deinze, Belgium
In 1550, Jan Waghevens delivered an 11-bell clock chime, replacing 6-bell clock chime from 1484.  The building, clock and bells were destroyed by fire in 1580.  This site is identified in the database as 
        DEINZE - H           : BELGIUM

NOTE: Sites for which no database identification is listed are the only ones in their respective cities in the database.  Thus their identification follows the standard model.

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This page was created on 2006/04/19 and last revised on 2023/12/30.

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