Bells from places where I've lived...they all sound...remarkably different
The Cathedral Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Lincoln (Where I was born and lived 18 years)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhvicoyN6gk
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter, Bradford (Where I went to University to study at Undergraduate Level for 3 years)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm-vg6GWlwE
The Cathedral and Collegiate Church of Saint Saviour and Saint Mary Ovirie, Southwark (the diocise in which I lived as a Member of The Lay Community for 2 years)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhNPozRSfik
The Cathedral Church of Saint Paul, London (Where I worked for Two Years)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_IB6EBhX8g
The Abbey and Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster (I studied for 1 year at a post graduate level and this Royal Pecculiar is probably the closest Major Church.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tfvg3WPpkM0
The Cathedral of Saint Wilfrid, Ripon (Where I have lived for eight years and currently reside. The first purpose built Cathedral since the reformation, built on the crypt of an old church, given the original status of Minister, and changed to Cathedral to govern Leeds)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFnnq-DO5mw
I have lived in both the archprovince of York and Canterbury
The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Christ, Canterbury
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3-4ooxodzM
The Cathedral Minster and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter, York
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kyh5yed8F0g (a Nice example, is to listen from 2.30 - 3.30 when the chimes give way to the main tolling bell, and at exactly 3.00 if you listen, you hear the first strike of the toll within the chimes.
Often in British and European Cathedrals, the Largest, Heaviest, Lowest Bell is actually given a NAME
Often its the name of the dedication, for example, Great Peter, in York...sometimes it isnt...and Saint Pauls, the Great Bell is called "Tom" and one really famous one in Europe is called "pummerin"
Big Ben is a misnomer...The name of the TOWER is big ben...the name of the Bell in the Tower is "Stephen" I think