Bells ringing out for festival

Jun 22 2006 By Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

BOURNVILLE will be ringing out the bells to celebrate 100 years of its rare carillon as musicians from across the world arrive for a festival of the instrument.

Chocolate maker George Cadbury was inspired to bring the bells to Bournville after hearing a carillon played on a visit to Bruges, in Belgium.

Today the tradition has been kept alive by carilloneur Trevor Workman who continues to play the instrument every week from the bell tower above Bournville Junior School, in Linden Road.

International carilloneurs are joining the 64-year-old for the tenth Eurocarillon Festival which will include a series of concerts.

Trevor, who is only the third carilloneur at Bournville, occupying the post for more than 40 years, said: "The carillon is still something people are discovering and this is a way of hearing it for the first time.

"This is the second time we've hosted this event in Bournville. The centenary and the festival are all ingredients towards trying to preserve everything we've done so far and setting up a solid foundation for the future."

Bournville's carillon started out with 22 bells but it is now the biggest in the country with 48 - the largest weighing three-and-a-quarter tonnes.

Trevor, from Hollywood, said the instrument, which is played on a wooden keyboard operated by hands and feet, is capable of playing anything from Bach to The Beatles.

"It can make some very beautiful sounds," he added.

Jayne Cadbury, married to George Cadbury's grandson, said: "2006 is a very special year for us and I am delighted we are able to host the festival in our centenary year."

Some 15 musicians will take part in the festival, travelling from as far as America and Russia. Concerts are taking place today, tomorrow and Saturday, the last day of the festival.

For more information call into the Carillon Visitor Centre on Bournville Green, call 0121 451 2194 or go to http://carillon.atspace.org.

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