Great Tom in lockdown
May 06, 2020, 09:12 AM
Oxford lockdown sound recorded by Cities and Memory.
"The bells of Great Tom ring 101 times at 9.05pm every night in central Oxford - a tradition going back centuries.
"We recorded this sound on the night a lockdown across the UK was announced, and we could still hear kebab vans, taxis, buses and plenty of passers-by.
"As a comparative recording, we returned to Christ Church College to record them once again in May 2020 (albeit at the quieter rear entrance to avoid the occasional bus still in service), and the bells can be heard loudly, clearly and beautifully. We live perhaps half a kilometre from Christ Church, and each evening now we can hear the bells from home if we open our window - one of the most calming sounds of the lockdown, as you can almost imagine life in Oxford 200 years ago."
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds
"The bells of Great Tom ring 101 times at 9.05pm every night in central Oxford - a tradition going back centuries.
"We recorded this sound on the night a lockdown across the UK was announced, and we could still hear kebab vans, taxis, buses and plenty of passers-by.
"As a comparative recording, we returned to Christ Church College to record them once again in May 2020 (albeit at the quieter rear entrance to avoid the occasional bus still in service), and the bells can be heard loudly, clearly and beautifully. We live perhaps half a kilometre from Christ Church, and each evening now we can hear the bells from home if we open our window - one of the most calming sounds of the lockdown, as you can almost imagine life in Oxford 200 years ago."
Part of the #StayHomeSounds project, documenting the sounds of the global coronavirus lockdown around the world - for more information, see http://www.citiesandmemory.com/covid19-sounds