Keen for bells to ring again

An Albany man is leading a push to have the bell chimes in the historic Albany Town Hall’s clock tower switched back on.

Geoffery Fairclough believes having the bells active again at certain times would give York Street a village feel and would highlight a piece of Albany’s history.

“It would connect people to the place and it would be nice for residents and visitors alike,” he said.

“It would be great for cruise ship visits and for tourists during the Anzac commemorations, it just creates a beautiful atmosphere in town.”

The Albany Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which wants to improve the vibrancy of the Albany CBD during tourist periods, supports the idea.

“The tourism experience in multi-sensory and sound is one of the senses,” chief executive Graham Harvey said.

“The Swan Bells are part of the Perth experience, why would you not have chimes as part of the Albany experience? I think it’s an idea worth pursuing.”

The town hall chimes were switched off in the 1990s after noise complaints from nearby residents.

Mr Fairclough said it could be possible to have the chimes active during the day but not at night.

“There may be some compelling reason why they can’t do it, but if so it would be nice to know what the reason is,” he said.

The City of Albany is currently investigating whether it would be technically and financially viable to operate the clock chimes on a day/night schedule.

The clock was first set in motion more than 120 years ago on April 15, 1891, by Mayor Robert Muir, three years after the town hall’s opening in 1888.