Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: bell tower

A klokkenstoel (bell tower/belfry) as a separate structure probably owes its origin to the fact that certain areas in Friesland were too poor or the communities too small, to build a church. Sometimes a church was built without a tower and the bell was placed in a separate bell tower. It also happened that when a church building or church tower had fallen into ruin, a bell tower was built. Usually, the bell tower is located in a village or hamlet. Almost all freestanding bell towers can be found in the province of Friesland and therefore the bell tower can be called a typical Frisian construction. Brongerga is such a hamlet (nearby Oranjewoud and Heerenveen). In 1315 it already had a little church and a drawing from 1722 shows that there was still a church, but it must have been demolished shortly afterwards. Nowadays, only the belfry remains in the churchyard, where an old tombstone mentions the year 1711. The bell tower contains a very old bell from the 13th century, which came from a belfry in another Frisian village. The current bell tower was renovated in 2006.

Evesham is a little market town on the banks of the River Avon. This little town was not only the site of the major Battle of Evesham, but also home to one of Europe's largest abbeys. The abbey was founded around the year of 700 by Saint Egwin. The abbey is of Benedictine origin, and became in its heyday one of the wealthiest in the country. At the height of its power and fame, the abbey church had 15 alters, a significance of the affluence enjoyed by the monks of Evesham Abbey Bell tower was built around 1530 by Abbott Lichfield, just ten years before the abbey was dissolved by King Henry VIII. The bell tower is all that survives, because the inhabitants of Evesham bought it. Nowadays this 16th century bell tower - holding 14 bells - is considered being one of the best rings in England. During all the years the iconic bell tower was restored several times; in 2015 and 2016 it had its last extensive restoration.

Church of Schildwolde (Kerk van Schildwolde) dates from the 17th century. The present church was built on the foundations of an older church from the 13th century. The Reformed church is a simple aisle less church built of brick, which is plastered. The church was consecrated in 1686. The most striking part of the complex is the detached bell tower, dating back at least to the year 1289 and once belonging to the former church. The roof of the spire is not made of roof tiles, but entirely built in brick. The tower has a height of 46 metres. The tower in Schildwolde is one of the two remaining so called ‘juffertorens’ (‘damsel towers’) in the province of Groningen. There is a legend about the ‘juffertorens’, saying: once there were three very rich but 'sinful' sisters (the ‘damsels') who thought only of their appearance. They regretted their sins and promised they would each build a tower as penance for their sins. But most probably the name ‘juffertoren’ is less prosaic: this kind of narrow tapering church towers were called after a ‘juffer’, which in Dutch also is a long tapering pine trunk.

Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes: bell tower, dating back to the 12th century, is 27 metres high.

Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes: interior of the bell tower (12th century)