Church Bells of Warwickshire

ILMINGTON St Mary 8, 12-3-26 in E (GF)

Grid Reference	151/210435
Postcode	CV36 4LB
Recording	None Available
Affiliation	Coventry DG
Peals	Felstead Database
Sunday	Not Known
Practice	Tuesday 1930-2100

History

In the middle of another pretty village, St Mary's holds a good ring of eight that is rung from the ground floor. The church consists of a chancel with a small north vestry, nave, north and south transepts, south porch, and west tower. The building dates from about the middle of the 12th century, when it had a chancel and a nave of the present size. The west tower was the first addition, late in the same century. Early in the 13th century the chancel was rebuilt; its width and the thickness of its walls are doubtless those of the 12th century, but its length was increased. The north transept appears to have originated in the 13th century as a short aislechapel with an arcade of two 8 to 9 ft. bays, but the transept was apparently enlarged in the 15th century when the arcade was altered from two bays into one large bay with the re-use of the older material. Most likely the south transept was then added to complete the crossshaped plan, but it has been almost entirely rebuilt in modern times (1846?). The clearstory of the nave was a mid-late-14th-century addition but the roof shows no detail earlier than the 16th century. The top stage of the tower is a late-15th-century heightening and the south porch an early-16th-century addition. The church was restored in 1846, apparently rather drastically; further repairs were done in 1911, when the blocked tower archway was reopened and the nave roof opened out. The roof had to be repaired again in 1939 owing to the ravages of the death-watch beetle.

The six bells were rehung by Taylors in 1952, the bells being hung in an 8 bell frame. The empty pits were filled in October 2000. The Bond bell was noticeably sharp and this was sent to Taylors to be retuned as part of the augmentation scheme, the previous weight was 6-0-15. It is now slightly lighter than the second.

The back 5 were cast as a ring in 1641 and are extremely attractive bells to look at. They are "a pronderous and full throated old style ring" (CJP). The treble was added in 1921 by Thomas Bond of Burford, whose father, Henry Bond, had rehung and quarter turned the Bagley bells in 1903. It was probably at this time that the canons were removed from the existing bells. The three trebles were all cast with flat tops.

The church can be seen as you drive by, but is a just little difficult to get close to unless you know how! Go through the village until you are just past parallel with the tower, with it to your right, and there is a side road that leads to the churchyard gate. Enter the church via the south door.

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  2000   5-2-04  28.375"  1356.0Hz (E+49c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  2000   6-0-14  29.375"  1275.0Hz (D#+42c)
3 Thomas Bond, Burford            1921   5-3-26  30.875"  1140.0Hz (C#+48c)
4 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe        1641   7-1-10  33.50"   1017.0Hz (B+50c)
5 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe        1641   7-2-10  35.375"   903.0Hz (A+45c)
6 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe        1641   8-1-25  37.375"   850.0Hz (G#+40c)
7 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe        1641  10-2-17  40.25"    753.0Hz (F#+30c)
8 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe        1641  12-3-26  44.25"    669.5Hz (E+27c)

Photo Gallery
The Ground Floor Ringing Room	The fine Norman arch leading to the sanctuary.
A Plan of the Church

HONILEY St John the Baptist 6, 6-2-4 in A

Grid Reference	139/245722
Postcode	CV8 1PW
Recording	None Available
Affilation	Coventry DG
Peals	Felstead Database
Sunday	None
Practice	None
Other Information	Please do not park on the road that goes up to the church or by the houses by the church gate.

History

A small estate church, St John's stands all but by itself at the end of a lane. The church  was built in 1723. The inscription on the west tower reads: ad gloriam dei iohannes sanders: arm: propriis sumptibus hanc ecclesiam aedificavit anno salutis: mdccxxiii It was built at the expense of John Sanders Esq of Honiley Hall. He died in 1727 and left money in his will to pay for the installation of a ring of bells, this being done in 1731.

The bells are a ring of 6, augmented from 5 in 1978. Barwells rehung the bells with new fittings in 1888 at a cost of £41 15s 0d. The five bells were again rehung and quarter turned, this time with a new H-frame and fittings, by Taylors in 1955.

The treble was cast in 1978 using metal from the single bell from the demolished church of St. Thomas's, Coventry. Taylors provided additional steel framework for the new bell which hangs above the others. The treble was cast flat and the canons were removed from the others during the 1955 rehanging.

Turn off the main road by the Dogs Trust Kennels and the Honiley Court Hotel and as the road bears right the church is to the left up a private road. The residents have requested that cars do not park on this road or by the houses near the church gate.  They are very amenable to ringing at this church and you are asked to respect this request

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1978  3-1-13  24.50"   1516.0Hz (F#-42c)
2 Thomas Eayre, I Kettering       1731  4-1-02  27.00"   1353.5Hz (E+45c)
3 Thomas Eayre, I Kettering       1731  4-1-16  28.375"  1205.0Hz (D+44c)
4 Thomas Eayre, I Kettering       1731  4-1-14  28.75"   1134.5Hz (C#+40c)
5 Thomas Eayre, I Kettering       1731  5-1-26  31.375"  1006.5Hz (B+33c)
6 Thomas Eayre, I Kettering       1731  6-2-04  33.75"    895.0Hz (A+29c)

Photo Gallery
The Apse	The West End

HONINGTON All Saints 6, 11cwt in Ab (GF)

Grid Reference	151/261426
Postcode	CV36 5AB
Recording
Affiliation	Coventry DG
Peals	Felstead Database
Sunday	None
Practice	None

History

This estate church is just off the old A34, now the A3400 - look for the signpost just south of Tredington. The square west tower is constructed in a limestone ashlar dated to around 1275 - 1300. The rest of the church is built in a classical style to resemble a London church of the 17th century (circa 1680). It was built the same time as the large country house of Honington Hall which it adjoins. The painted interior has several interesting monuments including a double statue to Sir Henry and his son 1713.

These are a ring of 6 rung from the ground floor. They were probably cast as a ring of five by Bagley and augmented by Rudhall to six in 1810. It is likely that this new bell was originally cast for Newnham on Severn, where the treble and tenor bells had proven to be unsatisfactory. Previously, the fourth required recasting in 1726. 

The wooden frame and fittings are by Thomas Mallaby & Sons of Masham, 1892 (cost £90). The bells have been quarter turned and retain their canons.

The entrance is at the base of the tower and not through the church.

The bells go reasonably well, some much needed routine maintenance being carried out recently.

Details of the Bells

1 John Rudhall, Gloucester        1810   4½cwt  29.00"   1371.5Hz (F-32c)
2 Matthew Bagley, Chacombe        1687   5cwt   29.875"  1239.5Hz (Eb-7c)
3 Matthew Bagley, Chacombe        1687   5¾cwt  31.75"   1080.5Hz (Db-45c)
4 Abraham Rudhall II, Gloucester  1726   6½cwt  33.125"  1040.5Hz (C-10c)
5 Matthew Bagley, Chacombe        1687   8cwt   37.00"    908.0Hz (Bb-46c)
6 Matthew Bagley, Chacombe        1687  11cwt   40.75"    812.5Hz (Ab-38c)

Photo Gallery
The Church - Looking East	The Church - Looking West	The infamous 'ugliest cherub in Warwickshire',  with his misshapen cranium, on the monument to Joseph Townsend (d.1793).

HILLMORTON St John the Baptist 6, 12-0-20 in F

Grid Reference	140/536744
Postcode	CV21 4PP
Recording
Affiliation	Coventry DG
Peals	Felstead Database
Sunday	1000-1030
Practice	Wednesday 1930-2100 (2 & 4)

History

The earliest architectural remains are of the early or mid-13th century, and indicate the existence of a chancel and aisleless nave. Early in the 14th century north and south aisles were added and alterations made to the chancel. The windows in the aisles were mostly rebuilt at later dates, and the wall of the north aisle had buttresses added or rebuilt in 1609. The west tower was built in the 15th century. The date 1655 in its south wall indicates considerable alteration or repair, possibly amounting to a complete rebuilding of the tower. The clearstory is of uncertain date but is certainly a late addition, probably of the second half of the 16th century. The whole church, but especially the chancel, underwent extensive restoration in the late 18th century, when the present pews were put in. In the early 19th century a south porch and west gallery were added.

Once reputed to be a much heavier ring of 5, and at times said to be unringable, these are now an easy going ring of 6. The old five were rehung in a new frame in 1981-2, the canons being removed, and then augmented to six, in 1983. the note of the tenor equates to F-46c.

The five were cast by Thomas Russell in the same year that he cast five bells for Napton on the Hill. This is remarkable has he only cast five complete rings out of an output of 72 bells between 1712 and 1743. Only Hillmorton remain intact as a ring. The old frame, basically seventeenth century, (possibly made in 1655) with a partial rebuild to the south side of the treble pit in the early nineteenth century, had been supported by the insertion of metal girders in about 1930. The new fabricated steel frame was made in July 1982 by first year apprentices at G.E.C. in Rugby to designs prepared by Taylors.

The church is a little difficult to find. From Rugby it is couple of miles or so along "Hillmorton Road" (NOT Lower Hillmorton Road!), the A428 to Northampton. Keep on the main road as it turns left, meeting Ashlawn Road and becoming High Street. Look for Watts Lane on your left, between bungalows, signposted Hillmorton Primary School, and follow it to the end, there will be shops on your right. Turn left, and go straight(ish) on at the roundabout you soon meet, now in School Street. Fairly soon you turn right into Brindley Road, look for the signpost to the church, and go through a large brick lined tunnel under the main railway line. Almost immediately you emerge from it you can turn left into the church car park, just south of the church.

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1983   5-2-20  29.50"  1142.0Hz (D-49c)
2 Thomas Russell, Wootton         1731   5-2-15  31.00"  1020.0Hz (C-44c)
3 Thomas Russell, Wootton         1731   5-3-19  32.25"   909.0Hz (Bb-44c)
4 Thomas Russell, Wootton         1731   6-3-26  34.50"   858.0Hz (A-44c)
5 Thomas Russell, Wootton         1731   9-1-07  38.00"   764.0Hz (G-45c)
6 Thomas Russell, Wootton         1731  12-0-20  41.625"  680.0Hz (F-46c)

Photo Gallery
The Bells	The Church - Looking West	Mark Sayers trying out the slightly tricky staircase!