Proposal:Bell

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Bell
v · d
Proposal status: Draft (under way)
Proposed by: Biff
Tagging: amenity=bell
Applies to: node area
Definition: tag for a bell
Statistics:

Rendered as: icon of bell
Draft started: 2012-10-18, updated 2016-05-18

Proposal

Bells are quite common and serve as visual and audible aids for navigation.

Bells exist as:

This proposal only covers bells that are either very visible or audible or have touristic value, it does not cover normal doorbells.

Tagging

Separate area or node

In an early version of this proposal, it was proposed to use amenity=bell. In the discussion, also man_made=bell was proposed. This tag can be used if the bell is indeed tagged as a separate area or node.

This separate area or node might be attached to a supporting structure using a relation of type=node.

Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. The bell: prefix might be omitted in this case.

Memorial, monument or artwork

A bell can be the main part of a memorial, monument or artwork. This is indicated by an area or node tagged with:

historic=memorial combined with memorial=bell
historic=monument combined with monument=bell
tourism=artwork combined with artwork_type=bell
These tags already imply bell=yes. Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. The bell: prefix can be used to avoid confusion with attributes of other parts of the memorial, monument or artwork.

Add-on to tower or other structure

man_made=tower combined with tower:type=bell_tower
In this case, bell=* needs to be given with "yes" or "no", because the bell might no longer be present. Additional attributes of the bell can be tagged as shown in the table below. Typically, the prefix (bell:*=*) needs to be used to avoid confusion with attributes of the tower.

If more than one bell is present in one place (bell:count > 1), numbering may be necessary, e.g. bell:2:name=*, in order to state different properties of each bell.

The bell is tagged as follows:

Key Value Comment Presence
bell yes/no/ring/carillon/chime
yes = A bell exists here.
no = A bell does not exist here. Only used if other tags (for example, tower:type=bell_tower) could imply that a bell exists here.
ring = a group of bells used for change ringing, see change ringing.
carillon = a group of at least 23 bells that are played to create a melody, see carillon.
chime = a group of up to 22 bells that are played to create a melody, see chime (bell instrument).

Similar as in crossing:bell=*.

! Required unless bell=yes is implied by other tags, e.g. memorial=bell
count or bell:count number of bells The number of bells that exist as a co-located group. ? Optional
sound or bell:sound yes/no
yes = it is possible to ring the bell. This is probably the default value.
no = bell is always silent, e.g. because it is placed on the ground or broken.

Some similarity with the tag "sound" as used for traffic_signals:sound=yes/no is intended.

? Optional
name or bell:name name Name of the bell. Many church bells have a specific name. ? Optional
loc_name or bell:loc_name local name Local name of the bell, if it has one in addition to its official name. ? Optional
operator or bell:operator name of operator Operator of the bell. This is probably not necessary if the operator of the bell is also the operator of the building where it hangs. ? Optional
service_times or bell:service_times service times Some bells ring at specific times, e.g. every day at noon. The data format is described in Key:opening_hours. ? Optional
strike_tone or bell:strike_tone strike tone Specific strike tone of a bell, see strike tone. In the case of a bell that is now silent (sound=no), this could be the strike tone it was designed for.

The same tone (or note) has different names in different languages (see File:Octaves_notation.png). As it can be difficult to determine the strike tone of a bell (see Wikipedia), the value should be taken from written information that is provided for the bell. Please provide information about the used source when editing this tag (with the changeset).

To get an impression of the complicated set of parameters that might be provided for a bell, see the first column "Petrus" of the table on page 181 of this document. In this example, the relevant information for the strike tone is provided as "h°±o" in the row "Schlagton / Nominal".

? Optional
support or bell:support cage/wall_mounted/ground
cage = normal way of hanging a church bell
wall_mounted = The bell is mounted on a wall with a support.
ground = bell is on the ground, ringing not possible (combine with sound=no).
 ? Optional
ele or bell:ele elevation above mean sea level Elevation (height above sea level) of the bell. By default, values will be interpreted as metres. ? Optional
diameter or bell:diameter diameter Diameter of the bell. Caution: By default, diameter values will be interpreted as millimetres! A different unit can be added to the end of the value, separated by a space, e.g. "1.7 m". ? Optional
height or bell:height height Height of the bell. By default, values will be interpreted as metres. Please note that the elevation above mean sea level is not specified by height but by the attribute ele. ? Optional
weight or bell:weight weight Weight of the bell. Same data format as described for maxweight=*. Caution: By default, values will be interpreted as metric tonnes (1 t = 1000 kg)! A different unit can be added to the end of the value, separated by a space, e.g. "250 kg". ? Optional
start_date or bell:start_date date Date when the bell was mounted in its current place. This can be later than manufacture_date. ? Optional
material or bell:material material Material that the bell is made of. Typical examples are bronze or cast_iron. ? Optional
manufacturer or bell:manufacturer name Name of the manufacturer of the bell. ? Optional
manufacture date or bell:manufacture date date Manufacturing date of the bell. This can be earlier than start_date. ? Optional
inscription or bell:inscription text Inscribed text of the bell. ? Optional
wikipedia or bell:wikipedia reference Wikipedia article about the bell. ? Optional
wikimedia_commons or bell:wikimedia_commons reference Image of the bell on Wikimedia Commons. ? Optional

Examples

Generic example of a belfry with single bell inside
man_made=tower
tower:type=bell_tower
name=name of tower
bell=yes
bell:name=name of bell

In this case, to avoid collision with the name of the tower, the name if the bell is tagged with a prefix as bell:name=*.

Example of a bell that has been removed from the bell tower and now serves as a memorial

See https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/272460811 . 

historic=memorial
memorial=bell
name=St. Barbara Glocke
sound=no
material=cast_iron
manufacturer=Ulrich und Weule, Apolda Bockenem
manufacture date=1923
start_date=1967
inscription=Hl. Barbara, Patronin der Bergleute, Beschütze uns im Leben, Bitt Gott für uns im Tode. Gestiftet von Bardenberger Bergleuten.
wikimedia_commons=File:St. Petrus und Paulus, Alte Glocke IMG 0791.JPG

In this case, memorial=bell implies bell=yes. The bell itself is the most important aspect and there's no need to use a prefix for the attributes.

Monument that comprises five bells

See https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/12610110573 . 

description=The Hope Bell is a clock chime installation comprising four quarter chime bells and the main Hope Bell to sound the hours.
historic=monument
name=Hope Bell
start_date=2025-07-04
website=https://www.charnwood.gov.uk/pages/the_hope_bell
monument=bell
inscription:1=text
inscription:2=text
bell=chime
bell:manufacturer=John Taylor & Co Bellfoundry
bell:count=5
bell:1:name=The Hope Bell
bell:1:weight=1.270
bell:1:diameter=1490
bell:1:strike_tone=D
bell:2:name=Quartel bell 4
bell:2:weight=0.406
bell:2:diameter=890
bell:2:strike_tone=A
bell:3:name=Quarter bell 3
bell:3:weight=0.228
bell:3:diameter=700
bell:3:strike_tone=D
bell:4:name=Quarter bell 2
bell:4:weight=0.203
bell:4:diameter=630
bell:4:strike_tone=E
bell:5:name=Quarter bell 1
bell:5:weight=0.152
bell:5:diameter=560
bell:5:strike_tone=F#

Here, the prefixes for the attributes need to be carefully selected. Some apply to the whole monument, some only apply to all bells, and some apply to individual bells.

The given website is also the source for the detailed information about the bells, including their strike tones.

Rendering

An icon showing a bell would be easy to understand.

Features/Pages affected

See also

Comments

Please use the discussion page for discussion.

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