The Chimes

Grandfather clock chimes

Grandfather clocks are widely known for their majestic chimes and hour strikes resonating through the halls of a home.   Most Grandfather clocks will chime every 15 minutes,  playing a progressive quarter of the chime as time ticks on.  On the first 15 minutes the clock will play the first 4 notes of the tune, on the half and hour it will play half of the tune, at 45 minutes you will hear 3/4 of the tune and when it hits the 12 o’clock it plays the full tune of 16 notes.  This will then be followed by the strike whose number will correspond to the O’clock.  The world famous Westminster chime is very popular and is most prominently featured in all Grandfather clocks with a single chime.  If the clock features a triple chiming movement, the Whittington and St. Michael chimes more often than not make up the trio.  Ave Maria and Ode to Joy are also two chimes which feature exclusively in some of our Grandfather clocks.

Westminster Chime

Originally derived from Handel’s Messiah, the Westminster Chime became to be known as the Cambridge chime due to them being installed in the University Church tower clock at St. Mary’s in Cambridge.  They were later named the Westminster chime after being installed at the Palace of Westminster in London, now known as Elizabeth Tower.

Whittington Chime

The legendary Whittington Chimes rang in the Church of St. Mary Le Bow in Cheapside, London in the 16^th Century. Legend has it that a penniless boy, Dick Whittington (1354-1423) heard them as he ran away to escape his drudgery as an ill-treated house waif. The chimes seemed to say to him, “Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London Town!” So, back he went and persisted in his labours until he finally did become Lord Mayor of London Town and served three terms!

St. Michael Chime

A true story of adventure surrounds St. Michael’s Chimes: The bells, cast in London, were installed in the St. Michael Church steeple in Charleston, S.C. in 1764. During the Revolutionary War, the British took the bells back to England. After the war, a Charleston merchant bought them and sent them back to America. In 1823, when cracks were discovered in them, they were sent back to London to be re-cast.

In 1862, during the Charleston siege, they were moved to Columbia, S.C. for safe keeping, but Sherman’s army set fire to the area, and nothing but fragments of the bells remained. These were sent back to London once more, where the original molds still stood, and again, re-cast. In February 1867, the eight bells were reinstated in the St. Michael steeple, and on March 21^st they rang out joyously, seeming to say: “Home again, home again, from a foreign land!” There was a great rejoicing by the entire city as the bells rang out. Since then, they have endured a cyclone, earthquake and fire unharmed.

Chime on/off

For those that enjoy a nights sleep with silence, the Grandfather clocks have an automatic and/or manual on/off lever where you can disable the chime.  Once engaged by using the selector, the automatic night off function will continuously silence the chimes between approximately 10pm and 7am.  If desired, the chimes and strike can be turned on or off as desired at any time of the day or night.