Soldiers' Tower, Bell and clock tower and war memorial at the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
Soldiers' Tower is a 143-foot Gothic Revival bell and clock tower at the University of Toronto, designed by Henry Sproatt and Ernest Ross Rolph and attached to Hart House. It is built of stone, with a pointed-arch entrance, a large traceried window, a clock face, and a crenellated parapet with corner pinnacles. It houses a carillon of 51 bells.
The tower was built following a fundraising campaign by university alumni after World War I and was completed in 1924. It was designed to commemorate those who lost their lives in both world wars.
The tower's name refers to the alumni who died in the World Wars, not to a military unit. The names of the Great War dead are etched on a sheltered stone screen beside the base, while the Second World War names line the inner walls of the stone archway. The carillon is played for convocation, reunions, homecoming and Remembrance Day, when representatives of Canadian institutions lay wreaths at the foot of the tower.
You can view the bell tower from the outside and hear the bells ring at set times throughout the day. Access to the memorial records inside requires scheduling a visit in advance, as the space is not always open to casual visitors.
The carillon's 51 bells were recast and enlarged in 1976, when 28 bells by Petit & Fritsen replaced earlier ones; the same work raised the instrument from a major second below concert pitch to concert pitch. The bells weigh from 23 pounds to the bourdon's 4 tons.
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