Grid Reference:-
150/486712
Bell Audio:-
Hear the bells
Guild Affiliation:-
Coventry DG
Peals Rung Here:-
Felstead Database
Sunday Ringing:-
1030 - 1030
Practice Night:-
Tuesday
1945 - 2100
(Last of month with Hillmorton)
History Of The Bells
On the old "A" road from Birmingham to London this village is now by-passed by the M45. It is a really pretty village that is worth a visit. The church is in the main square and is visible from some distance. It contains a heavy ring of 6 that does rock the tower a bit! Nevertheless they are not too difficult to ring and are pleasant sounding. Each year around Bonfire Night the statue near to the church is dressed up anonymously by some locals!
Joseph Smith cast a ring of six in 1724. tenor 16-3-0, to replace a ring of 5, cast in 1620 by, perhaps, William Clibury of Wellington, with the third recast by William Bagley in 1670. The tenor was recast by Briant of Hertford in 1792 at a cost of £40 12s 6d. It weighed 18-0-20. John Over of Rugby rehung the bells in 1805/06 at a cost of £72/14/- Whitechapel overhauled the bells in 1954. at which time they were hung on ball bearings.
The bells were again rehung in 1981 - the steel frame being made locally. They were retuned at this time by Taylors, but rehung using the cast iron headstocks and other fittings supplied when the bells were previously rehung by Barwell in 1913, who had removed the canons at this time. The tenor's frequency equates to E+5c.
There is plenty of parking near to the church. The tower entrance is outside, to the right of the west door.
Details Of The Bells
1 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston 1724 6-2-09 32.00" 1107.0Hz 2 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston 1724 6-2-03 33.00" 989.0Hz 3 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston 1724 7-0-14 35.50" 881.0Hz 4 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston 1724 8-2-00 37.00" 825.0Hz 5 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston 1724 10-3-07 40.50" 741.0Hz 6 John Briant, Hertford 1792 17-0-08 46.75" 661.0Hz
Photo Gallery
The bells being taken down to be repaired and restored by Taylors of Loughborough. Bellhangers from G J Batchelor's, Rugby: left-right John Hughes, Mark Winward, Austin Gooch. |