There was long debate about what the national war memorial for the First World War should be, with proposals ranging from a memorial cathedral to an extension to Tongariro National Park. In the end a group of Wellingtonians pushed for a memorial bell tower and the 49 bells were quickly funded by individuals. The government then agreed that the carillon to house the bells would be the national war memorial, to be situated with a new art gallery and museum in Mt Cook, Wellington. William Gummer, who prepared this watercolour of the proposed carillon, won the competition for a design in partnership with C. R. Ford. The idea was that the bells would be played on anniversaries of major battles from the war and would be broadcast to the nation by radio. The carillon was opened before a very large crowd on Anzac Day (25 April) 1932.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Architecture Archive, The University of Auckland, Gummer & Ford Collection
Reference:
GF52
Drawing by W. H. Gummer and C. R. Ford
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