Friedland Cathedral Model 300/98

Friedland Cathedral Model 300/98

Friedland Cathedral Door Chime ~ 1955

The V.E. Friedland Cathedral door chime features a bent plywood case with mahogany veneer. Introduced in the mid 1950s, this was a top of the line long bell door chime in the Friedland line.

The 1955 product catalog described the Cathedral:

A luxury chime with a polished natural wood cover and burnished metal motif. Extra long satin brass tubes to give richer tone. Double note for front door, single note for rear. Fitted with enclosed, dust-proof trouble-free two-coil movement.

The mechanism is similar in construction and most likely a licensed version of the NuTone Double Acting Solenoid.

Friedland was an intrepid and successful exporter of door chimes. In addition to traditional British Commonwealth realms like Australia and Canada, Friedland explored other markets including the Soviet Union.

In 1961, Britain and the Soviet Union held reciprocal trade expositions to showcase their wares. Friedland was one of 677 British Exporters at the Moscow Exposition, famously visited by Nikita and Nina Khrushchev. The entire Friedland Catalog was translated for the Moscow show. It is unknown whether any Soviet Door Chimes were exhibited at the London show.