The Ballarat Town Hall bells are about to peal for their 150th Christmas Day after first heralding the festive occasion in 1871.
The eight Alfred bells ring for only selected occasions, including Christmas, New Year’s Eve, the election of a mayor and on Sundays for practice.
One story told about the Alfred Bells is they were bought from England by a Councillor because his wife missed the sound of church bells, but the truth is much darker.
Historian Weston Bates records in Lucky City, the bells were bought by local citizens as public penance for an assassination attempt on royal family member Prince Alfred, the Duke of Edinburgh.
Ballarat man HJ O’Farrell – a “demented, alcoholic Irish-produce dealer” – shot him in the back during a public picnic in Sydney in 1868 but the prince survived, largely due to his braces.
The bells are one of only four found outside church towers in the world, with the others located in Manchester, Adelaide, and Rockingham in Perth.
The bells were cast in the same foundry in England as Big Ben and the “great bells of Bow” in the Oranges and Lemons rhyme.
The lightest of the bells is 254 kilograms, and the heaviest 1117 kilograms.
In 1981, the bells were removed from the Ballarat Town Hall tower and taken back to the original foundry to be refurbished and hung in a new metal frame, replacing the original oak frame.
The bells will ring on Christmas Day at approximately 10am.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Daniel Moloney said it was an incredibly special occasion to have the bells chime for 150 Christmas Days.
“We are very privileged in Ballarat to have these bells peal for all our historic moments, and it will add a special touch to everyone’s Christmas to have them ringing on Saturday,” Cr Moloney said.
“I hope everyone has a lovely and safe Christmas and New Year and I look forward to leading the City of Ballarat again in 2022.”
