Peterborough People’s Chimes Nearly 100 years ago, on June 22, 1911, an immense crowd of Peterborough people gathered on the lawn of St. John’s Anglican Church on Hunter Street to dedicate the “People’s Chimes”, newly installed in the tower of St. John’s Church. The thirteen bells, weighing close to eight tons (the largest bell, the C bell, weighed over one and a half tons) were then the heaviest set of bells in Canada, perhaps in North America. Chimes have between eight and 22 bells, while carillons have 23 bells or more. The Peterborough set of bells was founded and tuned by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough, England, the fashionable bell founders. The People’s Chimes, though housed at St. John’s, were a gift of the community to the community. 

Fred Holmes, recently arrived from England, said he raised, in 1905, the idea that Peterborough should have a set of bells. He told the Rev. Canon (later Archdeacon) John C. Davidson the difference between a peal of bells and a chime; the former runs by ropes, the latter is controlled from a keyboard. 

Canon Davidson, the Rector of Peterborough, a leader in the local ministerial association, was a respected community leader with a rare reputation for promoting Christian harmony. He became aware that very year of a nice set of bells, founded by the respected Meneeley firm in Troy, New York, and installed at St. Peter’s Anglican Church in Cobourg. He probably learned of other sets of bells, such as the magnificent set which had run in the cathedral in Fredericton, New Brunswick, since 1849; it was extended from eight bells to 15 in 1911.

Davidson took the idea of chimes to the vestry, the annual meeting of the congregation of St. John’s, on Easter Monday, 1910. He proposed that the church could acquire from England a set of tubular chimes for a cost of only $1,250 to $1,500. The congregation was not immediately sold on the idea; after all the church had a very good bell, and the church had other priorities. Alex Elliott was enthusiastic even before the meeting; he donated $100, and found four others to donate $145. Vestry gave Elliott and Davidson permission to test the waters. If the chime was to be used for all public occasions, perhaps, they could get the support of citizens outside the congregation. If successful by October, the committee could order the chime from England to be installed by Sunday, November 1. One citizen, with experience in tubular chimes, approached English bell makers.

By the end of the month, April 1910, the project was redefined dramatically. Two thousand dollars was raised within a few weeks, beginning with a gift of $200 from Senator George A. Cox whose extraordinary fortune was rooted in Peterborough. Friends and subscribers said Peterborough should “get the very best and only the best bells which can be procured.” The campaign widened. Major names were contacted by letter. Canvassers spread the news by word of mouth, often right in the work places. Downtown stores such as Coleman Brothers and Graftons had subscription lists. Meetings of subscribers were scheduled. The local newspapers appealed to the pride of the citizens and commended “the soothing, softening strain of the chime” on the hectic urban pace. 

People believed that Peterborough deserved real bells, not tubular chimes, and the committee should raise funds until it would be possible to order ten or eleven bells without going into debt. The Examiner, with booster pride, said, “The public have taken the matter in their own hands and their interest in the people’s chimes should continue till the fund amounts to a sum sufficient to provide the finest peal of bells on the continent,…” 

The fundraising campaign was thorough. Those giving over $100 included the Boyds from Bobcaygeon, J. G. Browne, H. M. and W. H. Cottingham, Cox, Elliott, the Dickson family ($300), Sarah Fitzgerald ($500), Ryerson Ritchie and E. R. Wood. Miss Fitzgerald also purchased the old bell for All Saints’ Church, where it still rings. The Hon. J. R. Stratton committed his paper, the Examiner, to support the project. Several fraternal organizations, the 57th Regiment and labour unions supported the fundraising. Miss Denison’s Bible Class raised $50; other parish organizations raised funds as well. The employees of several companies, some using novel payroll deduction schemes, pitched in. These employees worked at Ackerman’s, Adamson and Dobbin, Bell Telephone, Brinton Carpet, Canadian Canoe, the lamp department at Canadian General Electric, the Canadian Pacific railway station, Cressman’s department store, Curtis brick works, William English Canoe, the Examiner, Nugent Drugs, the Oriental Hotel, Peterborough Canoe, Peterborough Lock, Peterborough Lumber, Peterborough Radial Railway, Quaker Oats, Rapid Tool, the Peterborough Review newspaper, William Stock bakery, Trebilcock Brothers and J. J. Turner and Sons. An additional 500 people from all walks of life made donations. At least 1,600 people gave something. By the time the People’s Chimes was dedicated debt free, nearly $6,500 had been raised. 

The bells each had names. The largest bell was the “Peterborough Chime.” The other original bells were named Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance, Hope and Perseverance. The eleventh bell was dedicated “In memory of Mrs. Sarah Fitzgerald.” Since then an F bell was added in 1964, and a G bell in 1993. The largest bells were installed in 1911, and according to officials at Taylor Bells who came to the church in September 1993, the tower is large enough to accommodate the additional eight bells that would convert the People’s Chimes into a carillon of 23 bells. 

The dedication service was the major Peterborough event marking the coronation of George V. Coincidentally the chimes celebrated also the 75th anniversary of the first service in St. John’s Church, and the 85th anniversary of the parish. The 57th Regiment had its Coronation Day parade to the lawn of St. John’s Church. They were joined by boy scouts and representatives, in full regalia, of fraternal societies. Coleman’s prepared a “sumptuous repast” for leaders of the unions, fraternal societies, and other organizations that had supported the campaign. Ministers of nearly every denomination were on the platform as the Anglican Bishop of Toronto, the Rt. Rev. James F. Sweeney, gave the prayers of dedication and benediction. Other dignitaries included Mayor W. G. Morrow, J. H. Stratton, MP, T. E. Bradburn, MPP, Judge E. C. Huycke and the church wardens, Henry Rush and G. A. Smith. The choir sang Psalm 150, “Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud crashing cymbals!” John Butcher, the sexton, and R. J. Devey, the organist, and perhaps others, performed the first “People’s Chimes” concert. 

The chime was the gift of the people of Peterborough, and were entrusted in perpetuity to this congregation at that dedication service. Over the years the chimes have marked important public moments: they were played daily for many months of 1918, 1967 and 1976-7. They were played for V-E Day, for the death of monarchs, Sir Winston Churchill and other public dignitaries. 

Robertson Davies used to request tunes on St David’s Day, and a few years ago Sylvia Sutherland arranged a noon-hour chimes concert on St David’s Day. The congregation has been true to its trust. A fourteenth bell was added in 1964. In 1993, there was a major refurbishing of the bells, and new clappers were installed. A fundraising appeal led to the addition of a fifteenth bell. The changes were made by craftsmen at Taylor Bells, still leaders in the field the company defined. 

The People’s Chime seemed the right thing to do in 1911. Peterborough had the tower, which John Belcher, the local architect arranged to reinforce. The location, and its 1875 bell, had long been familiar to local people. The project touched people with enthusiasm, and local pride and ambitions were easily harnessed. This remarkable symbol of community pride, then, in 1911, the largest set of bells in Canada, still remains one of Canada’s outstanding chimes. Note: The correct expression is Peterborough Chime, as the word “chime” as a noun refers to a set of bells. However, in our case, the large bell was named “Peterborough Chime” and in common local usage people referred to the total set as “Peterborough Chimes”, including on the bronze plaque that was unveiled in June 1911 and in my 1975 history of the parish.