Video: Removing the Carillon bells from the Peace Tower
In the spring of 2022, a number of bells from the Peace Tower Carillon were removed as part of the Centre Block project. They were removed so that important restoration work can be done on them. The bells, along with other carillon components such as clappers, were sent to the Netherlands to be restored by one of the top carillon specialists in the world. The Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry, in the Netherlands, was selected to do the work following an open and transparent competitive process. The larger bells will remain in the belfry and will also undergo restoration work.
Transcript of Removing the Carillon bells from the Peace Tower
Start of video
[Music plays]
(Text on screen: Public Services and Procurement Canada)
[Shot of the Peace Tower and the Canadian flag flying in the wind on a sunny day.]
[Shot of the large bells behind the carillon strings inside the Peace Tower.]
[Low angle close-up shot of a clapper ringing a large bell.]
[Close-up shot of a carillon string getting pulled to ring a bell.]
Our former Prime Minister Mackenzie King said it the best: the carillon is the “Voice of the Nation” and I am very proud to be part of a significant aspect of Canadian history.
[Shot of Caitlin Rouse speaking on camera in the observation deck of the Peace Tower.]
(Text on screen: Caitlin Rouse, PSPC Project Technician, Centre Block Rehabilitation Project)
My name is Caitlin Rouse and I am a Project Technician for the scanning and partial disassembly of the carillon.
[Panoramic shot of some small and medium bells laying on a metal grid inside the belfry.]
(Text on screen: 22 of 53 carillon bells were removed from the belfry.)
[Close-up shot of a medium bell spinning as a worker above it is unscrewing it from a metal beam inside the belfry. Another worker is laying on the floor to assist him.]
[Wide shot of a worker sitting on a metal beam and spinning a bell to release it from the beam.]
[Shot of that same bell being released onto a platform with wheels with the help from the worker on the floor.]
The bells had to be removed from the Peace Tower to restore and refabricate selected carillon components to address issues such as general age and wear.
[Shot of three workers dismantling the carillon keyboard inside the player’s cabin.]
[Close-up shot from inside the carillon keyboard of a worker marking some pieces of the carillon keyboard.]
[Shot of the small bells hanging inside the belfry.]
[Shot of a worker spinning a small bell to remove it from the metal beam.]
[Shot of a worker removing the small bell from the metal beam.]
Because of the Centre Block rehabilitation project, we had the opportunity to enhance playability and refine sound quality. Additionally, heritage assets found within the belfry most at risk required removal and that allowed us to advance interventions to the Peace Tower.
[Close-up shot of the mechanical action of the carillon.]
(Text on screen: The bells will be restored in the Netherlands by one of the top carillon restoration specialists in the world.)
[Shot of Jaap Leyten speaking on camera in the observation deck of the Peace Tower.]
(Text on screen: Jaap Leyten, Chief Engineer, Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry)
My name is Jaap Leyten and my title is Chief Engineer at Royal Eijsbouts.
[Low angle wide shot of a worker sitting on a metal beam inside the belfry pointing at the large bells while talking to his colleague down on a lower level.]
[Shot of a worker sitting down in between the large bells looking up and discussing with his colleague about the large bells.]
[Overhead shot of the bells hanging from metal beams inside the belfry.]
[Close-up panoramic shot of the writing at the bottom of a large bell.]
[Close-up panoramic shot of the writing on the side of a large bell.]
Royal Eijsbouts is a company that exists 150 years and we restore carillons, swinging bells, we cast swinging bells so we are a bell foundry. And it’s the largest bell foundry in the world.
[Shot of Jaap Leyten talking to two of his colleagues inside the player’s cabin.]
[Shot of Jaap Leyten removing a bolt from the metal beam where the smaller bells were hanging.]
[Panoramic shot of some of the bells secured inside a wooden crate.]
My role is to oversee the job site, the work here we are doing and then when everything is shipped back to the Netherlands to oversee the restoration.
[Shot of a worker with a big wrench working through the floor hatch inside the player’s cabin.]
[Close-up shot of another worker using a pipe wrench to loosen a bolt through the floor hatch of the player’s cabin.]
[Shot of two workers using a pipe wrench and a big wrench to loosen a bolt through the floor hatch of the player’s cabin.]
[Close-up shot of the small bells hanging in the belfry.]
[Caitlin Rouse speaking.]
They have a unique skill set that they bring to the project being carillon specialists, but they also have a facility with technical equipment in the Netherlands that will allow us to restore the bells.
[Shot of a worker cranking a jack through the floor hatch of the player’s cabin.]
[Shot of the carillon keyboard.]
[Close-up shot of the carillon mechanical action.]
[Close-up shot of a worker prying open a metal piece holding in place the carillon mechanism.]
Prior to Royal Eijsbouts arriving on site, we had to address heritage protection around the keyboard, mechanical and electrical decommissioning, as well as safety concerns.
[Shot of the temporary hatch on the ceiling].
[Shot of the temporary hatch on the floor, marked by “Danger, Opening” warning].
[Shot of a worker opening the temporary hatch inside the player’s cabin.]
[Shot of a worker raising a large clapper through the temporary hatch inside the player’s cabin.]
We also installed a temporary hatch to the ceiling and floor of the player’s cabin to facilitate the removal of the carillon components as well as the bells.
[Panoramic shot of the medium bells hanging in the belfry.]
[Panoramic shot of some other medium bells hanging in the belfry.]
[Close-up shot of a worker cleaning the inside of a bell in the belfry.]
[Shot of Caitlin Rouse speaking on camera in the observation deck of the Peace Tower.]
So the medium and large bells will remain in the Peace Tower during the rehabilitation project and minor conservation work will be done to them such as cleaning to ensure they will be able to played on for the next 100 years.
[Shot of a worker carrying a medium bell down the stairs in the Peace Tower.]
[Shot of a worker scanning the inside of a large bell inside the belfry.]
[Close-up shot of worker scanning the outside of a large bell in the belfry.]
[Shot of worker scanning the inside of a large bell in the belfry.]
[Jaap Leyten speaking.]
The largest bells we removed and brought with us is approximately 100 pounds. And all the others, we didn’t need to take them off because we brought Miguel and he’s a specialist and he can scan all the bells.
[Shot of worker using his laptop on the floor of the belfry.]
[Close-up shot of the laptop showing a 3D scan of the bell.]
With that information, we can prepare ourselves for restoration of the clappers and all other sort of things.
[Close-up shot of a large clapper striking a bell.]
(Text on screen: Clapper: the part inside that strikes a bell to make it ring.)
[Shot of a worker putting down a small bell in a wooden crate.]
[Panoramic shot of small clappers and various pieces of the carillon mechanism laying on the floor inside Centre Block.]
[Shot of three large clapper laying on the floor of the player’s cabin.]
[Tilting shot of a rusted clapper inside a bell hanging in the belfry.]
[Caitlin Rouse speaking.]
So the final restoration process is still being developed. However, we do know that the small clappers will be refabricated, and the larger and medium sized clappers are going to be restored because they were original, and we are going to be addressing the corrosion as well as the general age and wear.
[Panoramic shot of some small clappers and various pieces of the carillon mechanism laying on the floor inside Centre Block.]
[Shot of a group of workers filling up a wooden crate with clappers and other various pieces of the carillon mechanism.]
[Jaap Leyten speaking.]
It’s mostly the bearings or the axels or the clapper itself maybe it’s a little bit worn down and we need to make sure that it’s smooth and round again so you have a good striking point.
[Shot of Jaap Leyten speaking on camera in the observation deck of the Peace Tower.]
When that is, the bell will actually sound better again.
[Shot of a group of workers closing the top of a wooden crate filled with bells, clappers, and various parts of the carillon mechanism.]
[Shot of two workers guiding an operator to place the crate on the flatbed of a transport truck outside of Centre Block.]
[Wide shot of the transport truck leaving Centre Block with five crates on its flatbed.]
[Shot of Captain Dan Abbott speaking on camera in the cockpit of the C-17.]
(Text on screen: Captain Dan Abbott, Chief Training Pilot, 429 Transport Squadron)
[Wide shot of the C-17 on the tarmac of the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.]
[Wide shot of a forklift operator unloading a crate off the transport truck at the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.]
[Wide shot of the crates sliding onto the belt loader inside the hangar of the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.]
My name is Captain Dan Abbott. I’m an aircraft commander on the CC-177. We used the C17 to transport the bells from Trenton to Prestwick in the UK.
[Wide shot of the belt loader moving towards the opening at the back of the C-17.]
[Shot of a worker grabbing the crates from the belt loader and pushing them into the C-17.]
[Shot of three workers pushing the crates farther inside the C-17.]
[Tilting shot of all the crates and other cargo secured inside the C-17.]
[Close-up shot of a crate inside the C-17.]
We used what’s called the Hub and Spoke models. We used the C17 to transport the bells and other cargo to our hub in Prestwick in the UK. And then from there, the cargo is then broken down on a CC-130 to other various locations as the missions require.
[Shot of Captain Dan Abbot speaking on camera inside the cockpit of the C-17.]
[Shot of Captain Dan Abbot and his copilot going through the pre-flight checklist.]
[Close-up shot of Captain Dan Abbot touching a screen in the cockpit.]
[Wide shot of the C-17 taking off the runway of the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton.]
It’s always nice to be part of history and transport the bells safely to their final destination, as well as all the other missions that 429 squadron and the C17 supports globally as well.
[Close-up shot of the carillon strings moving up and down as the carillon plays.]
(Text on screen: Daily recitals will begin again once the rehabilitation project is complete.)
(Text on screen: Special thanks for the shared video from our colleagues at: Senate of Canada, House of Commons, Department of National Defence)
(Text on screen: Check us out: facebook.com/PSPC.SPAC, instagram.com/pspc_spac, twitter.com/pspc_spac, youtube.com/PWGSCanada)
[Music stops]
(Public Services and Procurement Canada signature)
(Canada Wordmark)
End of video
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