The carillon was a gift from the British Government to the people of Australia to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the national capital, Canberra. The structure was the subject of a limited competition between three selected Australian architects and three selected British architects. Assessors of the competition were Lord Holford, Sir Donald Gibson and Sir John Overall. The winners were the Western Australian firm of Cameron Chisholm Nicol. The Carillon was designed in 1967, built during 1969 and completed in 1970. The three columns of the design symbolise the British and Australian Governments and the City of Canberra. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the National Carillon on 26 April 1970. The Carillon has a symbolic value in the link between Britain and Australia. It also has some historic value for its association with the commemoration of the 50th Jubilee of the founding of Canberra. The tower stands tall. The concept was developed in 1968 by Don Ho, an architect at Cameron Chisholm Nicol. The carillon bells and mechanism were designed and constructed by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough. The Carillon is a good example of the late twentieth centuryBrutalist style. Its use of strong shapes which are boldly composed, the diagonal line of the roofs, large areas of blank wall, use of precast non load-bearing wall panels and strongly vertical windows and openings are all features of this style.
Characteristics
Carillons must have at least 23 bells to be considered as such, and the National Carillon has 55; increased from 53 during refurbishments in 2003-4. Each bell weighs between and. The bells span four and a half octaveschromatically. John Douglas Gordon, after whom the Aspen Island footbridge is now named, played the inaugural recital. The carillon features moderate-size function facilities for small gatherings offering views over Lake Burley Griffin and central Canberra. The carillon is in regular use, chiming every quarter-hour and playing a short tune on the hour along with tours and recitals on many days. For example, there is usually a recital of carols on Christmas Eve each year with music being played for around an hour at dusk. The best place to listen to the carillon is suggested to be within of the building though the sound can usually be heard much further away in the Parliamentary Triangle, Kingston and Civic.
Links to memorials
The adjacent National Workers Memorial was constructed with the idea that people attending would hear the sound of bells from the carillon, which would assist them in remembering their loved ones.
