About
Bell Tower
When the new School was built in 1927, the crowning feature atop the Main Building was an elegant bell tower. Half-timbered architecture appears elsewhere on campus, but the bell tower is what makes the Main Building instantly recognizable.
As early as the 1940s, stories circulated of boys climbing into it. The top floor then housed Groves’ House, where large wardrobes lined the central hallway. An agile student could climb to the top, reach a ceiling hatch, and scramble into the tower. The view must have been worth the effort. For decades, boys made the climb, leaving signatures on the rafters as proof.
As early as the 1940s, stories circulated of boys climbing into it. The top floor then housed Groves’ House, where large wardrobes lined the central hallway. An agile student could climb to the top, reach a ceiling hatch, and scramble into the tower. The view must have been worth the effort. For decades, boys made the climb, leaving signatures on the rafters as proof.
When Groves’ House later moved and the space was renovated, access shifted to a ladder hidden in a small photo lab closet. During this period, the Headmaster confidently claimed that reaching the tower was virtually impossible – yet new signatures kept appearing.
Surprisingly, signatures – and the occasional human or feathery visitor – were the only things in the bell tower. From 1927 until 1977, there was no bell.
That changed thanks to a generous gift from Lennice Hemsworth, a parent and board member. In 1976, she commissioned a bronze bell from the Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen in Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands. The bell measures 18 inches across and weighs 150 pounds.
On January 22, 1977, Headmaster and Chaplain Rev. Canon W. H. H. McClelland dedicated it to the memory of Mrs. Hemsworth’s former husband, Charles Jordan-Knox. Named the Jordan-Knox Bell, it rang for the first time that day. Its inscription records the names of Charles Jordan-Knox, Lennice Helmsworth, and their three children.
Sounding a deep A, the bell marked time for Chapel, assemblies, and meals for decades. It was the School’s only bell until the Chapel tower was added twenty years later.
Following the major renovation in 2015, a central hallway once again runs along the top floor of the Main Building, with access to the bell tower through a ceiling hatch – just as before. The refurbished tower now includes measures to keep birds from nesting inside, and former students may be pleased to know that the signatures on the rafters remain.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
Surprisingly, signatures – and the occasional human or feathery visitor – were the only things in the bell tower. From 1927 until 1977, there was no bell.
That changed thanks to a generous gift from Lennice Hemsworth, a parent and board member. In 1976, she commissioned a bronze bell from the Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen in Aarle-Rixtel, Netherlands. The bell measures 18 inches across and weighs 150 pounds.
On January 22, 1977, Headmaster and Chaplain Rev. Canon W. H. H. McClelland dedicated it to the memory of Mrs. Hemsworth’s former husband, Charles Jordan-Knox. Named the Jordan-Knox Bell, it rang for the first time that day. Its inscription records the names of Charles Jordan-Knox, Lennice Helmsworth, and their three children.
Sounding a deep A, the bell marked time for Chapel, assemblies, and meals for decades. It was the School’s only bell until the Chapel tower was added twenty years later.
Following the major renovation in 2015, a central hallway once again runs along the top floor of the Main Building, with access to the bell tower through a ceiling hatch – just as before. The refurbished tower now includes measures to keep birds from nesting inside, and former students may be pleased to know that the signatures on the rafters remain.
The information presented in this write-up is based on current information available in the School's Archives and consultation with key people who have some relevant connection to this "object." If you have further information about this "object" that you would like to contribute, please contact the School’s Advancement Office at alumni@shawnigan.ca.
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