Visiting the belfries of northern France and Belgium involves travelling to many little-known towns that are well off the tourist trail. So on my visit to the region I covered some of the 56 included in the WHS, and found them to be all different - no two alike. It was quickly apparent that much of what I saw were copies, that the originals had been destroyed in WW1, WW11 or both:

Amiens - a short squat tower close to the cathedral (also a WHS)

Calais - a tall red brick tower attached to the town hall

Boulogne - square and grey, and now a war memorial

Hesdin - appears to poke out of the town hall roof, the lower part can be seen inside the tourist office

Rue - large squat tower

Abbeville - tall square tower

Loos - a tall red brick tower with corbels and turrets

Lille - very tall, slim red brick tower

Bethune - decrepit and grimy

Comines - red brick with onion dome roof

Gravellines - tall yellow brick tower

Dunkirk (St Eloi) - a tall square tower

Dunkirk (town hall) - red brick tower attached to the town hall

Bergues - tall yellow brick tower with onion dome roof

Bailleul - tall yellow brick tower with lantern roof

Armentiers - tall red brick tower with spire, attached to the town hall

Cambrai - tall grey stone, originally a church tower

Douai - grey stone tower attached to the town hall, with a brilliant 62 bell carillion

Arras - a yellow brick monument attached to the town hall

Tournai - elegant white stone tower

Roeslare - tall square tower attached to the town hall

Oudenaarde - a tall ornate tower, an integral part of the town hall

Kortrijk - a short red brick tower with turrets

Menen - octagonal red brick tower

Ypres - large and squat with turrets, attached to the cloth hall (near the Menen Gate, a huge WW1 memorial)

Mons - tall grey stone tower with onion dome roof

Charleroi - a tall slender tower

Gembloux - a brick tower with onion dome roof

Namur - a squat, circular tower

Binche - a tall brick tower with a tiered roof, attached to the town hall

Ghent - a stone tower with spire

Eeklo - a slender red brick tower overshadwed by a somber church tower nearby

Veurne - wedding cake style, overshadowed by a huge church behind

Dixmude - tall towerr attached to the town hall

Tielt - a cute brick tower with a lantern roof

Dendermonde - tall white brick tower attached to the town hall

Aalst - white brick tower with corbels and decorative panels

Bruges - a square and circular wedding cake tower of white stone

Tongeren - a large square tower attached to a church

Tienen - square tower attached to St Gemanicus' church

Mechlen - multi facetted tower of St Rombould's cathedral

Antwerp - tall spire attached to the OLV cathedral

Antwerp - squat tower attached to the town hall

Herentals - a slim circular brick tower on a triangular gable

Lier - a white tower with steeple, attached to the town hall.