Soldiers' Tower (University of Toronto)
Encyclopedia
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
and clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
that commemorates members of the university who served in the World Wars. Designed by architects Henry Sproatt
Henry Sproatt
Henry Sproatt was a Canadian architect in the early 20th Century.Born in Toronto, he trained in Europe and in New York. He formed a partnership with another celebrated architect, John A. Pearson in 1890 and with Frank Darling in 1893...
and Ernest Ross Rolph, the Gothic-revival tower stands at 143 feet (43.6 m) tall and houses a carillon
Carillon
A carillon is a musical instrument that is typically housed in a free-standing bell tower, or the belfry of a church or other municipal building. The instrument consists of at least 23 cast bronze, cup-shaped bells, which are played serially to play a melody, or sounded together to play a chord...
of 51 bells. The University of Toronto is the only Canadian university with a functioning carillon.
After the Great War, university alumni raised $397,141 to erect the tower as a war memorial. The cornerstone was laid in 1919 by Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire
Victor Christian William Cavendish, 9th Duke of Devonshire , known as Victor Cavendish until 1908, was a British politician who served as Governor General of Canada, the 11th since Canadian Confederation....
, the 11th Governor General of Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
. Construction was completed in 1924 at a cost of $252,500, with the surplus funds endowed for scholarships in perpetuity. The names of those lost in the Great War (1914–18) are etched on a sheltered stone screen adjacent to the tower's base, while the inner walls of the tower's stone archway are inscribed with the names of those lost in the Second World War (1939–45).
The tower features a dramatic 12-panel stained-glass window that is partly a visual interpretation of John McCrae
John McCrae
Lieutenant Colonel John Alexander McCrae was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I and a surgeon during the Second Battle of Ypres...
's "In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields
"In Flanders Fields" is one of the most notable poems written during World War I, created in the form of a French rondeau. It has been called "the most popular poem" produced during that period...
", along with 8 smaller stained-glass windows that depict men and women of the armed forces at wartime. A museum within the tower showcases a collection of medals, memorial books, portraits, photographs, flags and miscellaneous memorabilia from the period.
In 1927, the clock was installed and the carillon was dedicated with its first 23 bells. Both were purchased by the alumni association from the famous British firm Gillett & Johnston
Gillett & Johnston
Gillett and Johnston is a clock and formerly bell manufacturing business in Croydon, England.-History:William Gillett started a clock making business on Union Road in Croydon, England in 1844. Charles Bland became a partner in 1854 and the company became known as Gillet and Bland. In 1877, Arthur...
, which also cast the bells atop the Peace Tower
Peace Tower
The Peace Tower is a focal bell and clock tower, sitting on the central axis of the Centre Block of the Canadian parliament buildings in Ottawa, Ontario. The present incarnation replaced the Victoria Tower after the latter burned down in 1916, along with most of the Centre Block...
on Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill
Parliament Hill , colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario. Its Gothic revival suite of buildingsthe parliament buildings serves as the home of the Parliament of Canada and contains a number of architectural...
. An additional 19 bells were purchased in 1952 to commemorate World War II, but could not be installed as they did not match the tone of the original bells. In 1976, the carillon was rededicated at its present size with the addition of 28 bells from Petit & Fritsen
Petit & Fritsen
Royal Bellfounders Petit & Fritsen, based in Aarle-Rixtel, the Netherlands, is the oldest family-owned business in the Netherlands, with the foundry dating back to 1660. Included on List of oldest companies...
. The bells of Soldiers' Tower Carillon range in weight from 23 pounds to the bourdon
Bourdon (bell)
The bourdon is the heaviest of the bells that belong to a musical instrument, especially a chime or a carillon, and produces its lowest tone....
's 4 tons, and are performed on special occasions such as convocation, reunions, homecoming and Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth countries since the end of World War I to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. This day, or alternative dates, are also recognized as special days for war remembrances in many non-Commonwealth...
in addition to regular recitals attended by university members and the general public.
A memorial stained glass window is dedicated to three University College students killed in the Fenian Raids. A stained glass window of 12 large panels with lead supports in Soldiers' Tower Hart House Circle is dedicated to members of the University of Toronto who served in the First and Second World War. A memorial consisting of cement wall with arch way at the University of Toronto, Soldiers' Tower, Hart House Circle is dedicated to the members of the University of Toronto who were killed in the First World War. A memorial consisting of plaques, ship display and slab is dedicated to the veterans of the Second World War who attended the University of Toronto. A memorial at the main pedestrian entrance to University of Toronto consisting of a large stone and cement archway is dedicated to University of Toronto members killed in the Second World War. High on the wall of the Memorial Room there is a memorial carved in stone for each of the Carillon of 51 bells (iron plus playing console) at University of Toronto A military museum with grey stone walls and cement floor is a memorial dedicated to University of Toronto members killed in the First and Second World War