BISHOP CRONYN MEMORIAL CHURCH Anglican Church of Canada Diocese of Huron London, Ontario THE BELL

The Bell was installed in an open flat tower at the north west corner of the building.   Cast in bronze and weighing 1200 lbs it summoned worshippers to the church until the early 1980's when it was discovered that the constant swinging of the bell had caused structural cracks to appear in the masonry.  Upon advice from engineers the bell fell silent for almost a quarter century.   Work was undertaken to correct the structural issues with the tower, but it was understood that the bell could not be rung so long as it had to swing to do that. In the Fall of 2005, a very generous gift was received from a parishioner for the purpose of installing an electronic system that would strike the bell to cause it to ring without the bell having to swing.  A dopler effect simulates the swinging rhythm.  The Bell strikes the hour from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, rings the Angelus at 6 p.m. daily and rings before the regular services of the church.   It is also programmed to toll for funerals, and to ring the sanctus for Festal Eucharists. The bell rang again for the first time on Christmas Eve 2005 sending its sweet tones across the snow covered neighbourhood.  Early in the following year the donor died and the re-voicing of the bell has been dedicated to the memory of Bill Congdon.