Editing Canterbury Cathedral (section)

== Bells ==
[[File:Dunstan 1.jpg|thumb|upright|Great Dunstan. {{youTube|zSvIiTU5YX8|Recording}}]]

The cathedral has a total of 21 bells in three of its five towers:

The South West Tower (Oxford Tower) contains the cathedral's main [[ring of bells]], hung for [[change ringing]] in the English style. There are fourteen bells&nbsp;– a ring of twelve with two semitones, which allow for ringing on ten, eight or six bells while still remaining in tune. All of the bells were cast in 1981 by the [[Whitechapel Bell Foundry]] from seven bells of the old peal of twelve with new metal added and rehung in a new frame. The length (draught) of the ropes was increased by lowering the floor of the ringing chamber to the level of the south aisle vault at the same time, also allowing for the new bells to be set lower in the belfry than the old, with the intention of reducing stress on the Medieval structure. The heaviest bell (tenor) of this ring weighs {{long ton||34|3|4}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Love|first=Dickon|title=Canterbury Cathedral, Oxford Tower|work=Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent|url=http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1121|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827005339/http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1121|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The ringers practise on Thursday at 7:15&nbsp;pm.

The North West Tower (Arundel Tower) contains the cathedral's clock chime. The five-quarter chimes were taken from the old peal of twelve in the Oxford Tower (where the clock was originally), and hung from beams in the Arundel Tower. The chimes are struck on the eighth Gregorian tone, which is also used at [[Merton College, Oxford]]. The hour is struck on Great Dunstan, the largest bell in Kent at {{long ton||62|2|9}},<ref>{{cite web|last=Love|first=Dickon|title=Canterbury Cathedral, Arundel Tower|work=Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent|url=http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1122|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827005333/http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1122|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> which is also swung on Sunday mornings for [[Matins]].

In 1316 Prior Henry of Eastry gave a large bell dedicated to Saint Thomas, which weighed {{cvt|71+1/2|-Lcwt|kg}}. Later, in 1343, Prior Hathbrand gave bells dedicated to Jesus and St Dunstan. At this time the bells in campanile were rehung and their names recorded as "Jesus", "Dunstan", "Mary", "Crundale", "Elphy" (Ælfheah) and "Thomas". In the [[1382 Dover Straits earthquake]] the campanile fell, destroying the first three named bells.  Following its reconstruction, the other three bells were rehung, together with two others, of whose casting no record remains.

The oldest bell in the cathedral is Bell Harry (approximately {{long ton||8}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Love|first=Dickon|title=Canterbury Cathedral, Central Tower|work=Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent|url=http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1123|access-date=26 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827005319/http://kent.lovesguide.com/tower.php?id=1123|archive-date=27 August 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>), which hangs in a cage on the top of the central tower to which the bell lends its name.  This bell was cast by [[Joseph Hatch (bellfounder)|Joseph Hatch]] in 1635, and is struck at 8&nbsp;am and 9&nbsp;pm every day to announce the opening and closing of the cathedral, and also occasionally for services as a Sanctus bell.<ref>{{harvnb|Stahlschmidt|1887|pp=192, 195}}</ref>

The cathedral also has custody of the bell of [[HMS Canterbury (1915)|HMS ''Canterbury'']], a World War I-era [[light cruiser]], hung near the [[Buffs (Royal East Kent Regiment)|Buffs Chapel]] in the southwest transept.