Beaudesert

St Nicholas 6: 6-2-12 in B

Grid Reference 151/152600 Beaudesert. Source: Mike Chester
Postcode B95 5JY
Affiliation Coventry DG
Peals Felstead Database 
Sunday No regular ringing
Practice By arrangement

History

The church is only a few hundred yards or so from the ring of six at Henley in Arden. It is part of the same benefice. Follow the road down the side of Henley church in order to find the church, you can park by the church hall.

The church consists of a chancel, nave, and west tower. It is a fine example of the middle of the 12th century, but has suffered alterations of a peculiar nature for which only conjectural reasons can be offered. It preserves most of the original chancel walls, a fine chancel arch, and a doorway now in the south wall and much restored. The only obvious addition is the 15th-century west tower; it was built almost wholly south of the original axis of the nave, into which its north-east angle intruded. For some unknown reason the original north wall was subsequently removed and the present north wall erected, perhaps in the late 16th century, some 5 or 6 ft. within the position of the old wall, encroaching directly on the north respond of the chancel arch. Possibly this reduction of the width of the nave from 24 ft. to 18 ft. was to provide a smaller span for the roof. The chancel lost its original vaulting and the nave, which probably had a range of upper windows, was reduced in height. The lower part of the south wall does not appear to have been much disturbed but the fine doorway is set in a greater thickness (17 in.) than the wall and it is probable that it was originally in a thick west wall (perhaps carrying a bell-cote) and was re-set here by the builder of the west tower. The church was restored in 1865,  when the chancel was again provided with vaulting, and the north respond of the arch was opened out again by recessing the nave-wall. Some recent repairs to the tower have been executed in artificial stone.

Until 2013 these bells were a hopelessly unringable ring of three. The bells hung in a medieval frame with thin replacement timbers, early C18 fittings and C19 wheels; they sounded the notes F, E and C#. The frame was considerably altered during its lifetime and the bells “swung” East to West in parallel pits. All bells had their canons retained, (the second had three canons remaining – and three false iron ones) and none were turned. Their inscriptions is given in Tilley and Walters’ book, “The Church Bells of Warwickshire”:

Beaudesert Inscriptions

Chris Pickford wrote an excellent article about the bells in The Ringing World of September 23rd 2011:

RW 2011

RW 2011

The bells were removed from the tower by Taylors on 21st July 2012. A “new” ring has been hung in a fabricated frame lower in the tower for 6, retiring the treble and adding 4 “new” bells to the other two. The fourth and tenor have come from St Nicholas, Guildford where their six of their existing bells were replaced in 2013 with new bells to better match the other four Taylor bells of 1926.  The treble came from Ashburnham Place in Sussex and the second from St Luke, Barrow in Furness, which has been closed and demolished. The former treble was retired from the ring and is hung dead in the old frame for chiming. The new frame is constructed from steel and is truss 8.1.B.a and layout 6.1. All the bells have been turned. The treble has had its canons removed, the third and fifth retain their canons and the others were cast with flat tops.

The bells were successfully rung for the first time on October 22nd 2013.

The inscriptions on the “new” ring are

Treble 1817
2 TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN
MEMORY OF SHEILA COCKLE THIS
BELL WAS RECAST 1963.
MEARS (M) LONDON
3 +IHESUS: NAZSARINUS:REX
IVEDEORVM
4 J. TAYLOR & Co FOUNDERS
LOUGHBOROUGH 1879
ORA PRO NOBIS BEATA KATHERINA
RECAST 1926
5 THE THENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF
QVEEN ANNE 1711
Tenor JOHN TAYLOR & CO FOUNDERS
LOUGHBOROUGH 1879
Service +AVE: MARIA:GRACI:PELNA

Details of the project were printed in The Ringing World of January 24th 2014:

RW Article

RW Article RW Article

The first peal on the bells was rung in 2014 – the details being

Coventry Diocesan Guild
Beaudesert, Warwickshire
St Nicholas
Saturday, 27 September 2014 in 2h 28 (6½cwt)
5040 Surprise Minor
(7m: 1 extent each of London, York, Bourne, Beverley, Surfleet, Cambridge, Norwich)
1 Simon E Adams
2 Raymon A Sheasby
3 Andrew F Alldrick
4 Mark W Sayers
5 Michael Chester
6 Simon P Rogers (C)
First peal on the bells.
Rung to celebrate 25 years service by Rev John F Ganjavi to the people of Henley-in-Arden as rector of this parish.

Details of the New Ring

1 Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel     1817  2-2-00  23.00″  1696.0Hz (G#+36c)
2 Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel   1963  2-3-13  24.00″  1511.0Hz (F#+36c)
3 Unknown                        c.1350  3-1-20  26.00″  1364.0Hz (E+59c)
4 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough   1926  4-3-07  27.75″  1270.7Hz (D#+36c)
5 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston          1711  4-2-08  29.00″  1132.0Hz (C#+36c)
6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough   1879  6-2-12  32.25″  1008.5Hz (B+36c)

Former Treble
Unknown                        c.1350  2-1-08  23.00″  1414.5Hz (F+22c)

Details of the Previous unringable Bells

1 Unknown                         c1350  2-1-08  23.00″  1414.5Hz (F+22c)
2 Unknown                         c1350  3-1-20  26.00″  1346.0Hz (E+36c)
3 Joseph Smith, Edgbaston          1711  4-2-12  29.00″  1110.5Hz (C#+3c)

Photo Gallery

Looking West. Source: Mike Chester Ringing Chamber
 The Church –
Looking West
Inside The
Ringing Room
Looking East Looking East
The East End of
the Church.
Note the stone
vaulting.
A Closer Look at
the Stone Vaulting
The Nave The Entrance Door
The Nave,
Looking West
The Stunning
Entrance to the
Church
Weather Vane Plan of the Church
The Weather Vane,
Depicting St Nicholas
Caring for Children.
Plan of the Church
The Old Bells The Old Wheels View Up the Tower
The Old Bells Prior
to the Restoration
The old wheels and frame Looking up the tower before restoration
The Second The Third Tuning Shop
Bell 2 in the foundry Bell 3 in the foundry The Back 5 Bells
in the Tuning Shop
The Fourth The Tenor  The Chiming Bell
Bell 4 in the foundry Bell 6 in the foundry The Chiming Bell
The New Frame The New Frame Layout 6.1
The Frame Under Construction
at Taylors, September 2013
The frame layout
Newly Hung Bells Bells in the New Frame The Stay
Two newly hung bells Three to Five, Front to
back, in the New Frame
Space is at a premium
in the belfry!