Keresley

St Thomas 6: 3-3-10 in D

Grid Reference 140/317825 Keresley. Source: Mike Chester
Postcode CV6 2PD
Affiliation Coventry DG
Peals Felstead Database
Sunday 1000-1030
Practice Tuesday 1900-2000 (Check)
Other Information Benefice Website

History

Quite close to Coventry City Centre but not actually in Coventry, St Thomas’ church is a red sandstone building right by the main road out to Fillongley, the B4098, and eventually Tamworth – hence it is on the Tamworth Road. (The church is called, for some reason, “Brownshill Green” in Ron Johnson’s “Atlas of Bells”; Brownshill Green being the neighbouring part of Coventry).

The church was consecrated in 1847. The building, of red sandstone, standing in Tamworth Road in Keresley, between High Street and Sandpits Lane, was designed mainly in the Early English style by Benjamin Ferrey. It consists of nave, chancel, south porch, and pinnacled western tower surmounted by a spire. The cost was partly defrayed by a grant from the Church Building Commission.

The first notice of ringing that I can locate at present is from Bell News of 15th September 1900:

Keresley 1900

The first peal on the bells was rung in 1913:

Keresley 1913

There was an article about Keresley  in The Ringing World April 8th 1938:

“NEW BAND FORMED AT KERESLEY.
ADDITIONAL BELL HOPED FOR.
With the view of putting the band of bellringers in the parish of Keresley with Coundon, Coventry, Warwickshire, on a proper footing and the promotion of the art of campanology among churchmen there, a parish church society was formed at a meeting which was held in the belfry of St. Thomas’ Church, Keresley, on March 7th. The society has the name St. Thomas’, Keresley and Coundon Society of Church Bellringers.
The Vicar is president and the churchwardens vice-presidents. Mr. C. H. W ebb was elected Ringing Master and Mr. W . Ensor steeplekeeper. Mr. F. East was appointed hon. secretary.
Members include all the old ringers and several newcomers to the district interested in bellringing. Two probationers are in training.
The society practises on Monday nights regularly. Nearly all the members and associates are members of the Warwickshire Guild. The church has five bells and a fund has been opened to provide a sixth bell.”

This was then reported in The Ringing World of October 14th 1938:

“At Keresley, a Warwickshire five-bell tower, where a young band is making excellent progress and rang three quarter-peals of Grandsire Doubles on Sunday week for the harvest festival and services of thanksgiving for the maintenance of peace, it is hoped shortly to augment the bells by the addition of a treble.
THANKSGIVING RINGING.
Three quarter-peals of Grandsire Doubles were rung on Sunday, October 2nd, at Keresley, Warwickshire, for the harvest festival and thanksgiving services. Before 8 a.m. Holy Communion, by W. J. Ensor (first quarter-peal) 1, S. J. Oughton 2, E. Stone (conductor) 3, F. N. Maskell 4, P. Stone 5. For matins, by F. P. East (first quarterpeal) 1, A. W . Bristow 2, P. Stone 3, S. J. Oughton 4, W . A. Stote (conductor) 5. For evensong, by E. Stone 1, S. Oughton (first ‘ inside ’) 2, S. J. Ought-on 3, F. N. Maskell 4, P. Stone (conductor) 5.”

The augmentation, of course, did not happen until much later, however, the local band were soon able to ring a peal on their own bells.

Keresley 1939

There was more about the tower in bells in The Ringing World of August 22nd 1939:

“After being closed about two months for restoration, the tower of St. Thomas’ Church, Keresley, Coventry, is open again for the usual Sunday service ringing and practice on Monday evenings. Bell founders have been invited to tender for a new treble to complete the peal of six, the ringers having already raised about £40 towards the cost.”

One can speculate that what was to occur a matter of days later scuppered the project.

Thne ringing room was, at one stage rather unusual. Are recorded by Ernest Morris in The Ringing World of May 11th 1945:

“At Keresley, near Coventry, St. Thomas’ Church has a ring of five, all by C. and G. Mears, 1848, with tenor 6¼ cwt. There the ringing chamber was very peculiar. It is behind an organ case, and the ringers stood on a series of ‘steps which once was a gallery. The fourth ringer’s head was on a level with the treble ringer’s knees. Of recent years, however, this has been levelled up.”

The bells were a heavier ring of five until they were recast and rehung into the lightest ring in the Diocese by Taylors in 1980/1.  This ring was supplied by C & G Mears of London in December 1848. When installed the bells were apparently hung on one level in a wooden frame supplied by the founders. The two smallest bells swung north to south in open ended pits on the west side of the tower, with the others in parallel pits swinging east to west.

The frame was repaired and strengthened in 1898 by Mears & Stainbank, who fitted angle plates and tie bolts and renewed most of the fittings, except the wheels, and turned the tenor.  The same firm returned in 1930, when the frame was rearranged, the found smallest bells quarter turned, some fittings renewed, and the bells rehung with new gudgeons and ball bearing fitted.  The timber frame was partially dismantled, leaving only the cills an dfoundation beams and the outer sections round the four wall of the tower. A new cast iron “lowside” frame resting on the original cills was provided for the fourth bell, and two separate iron pedestals were erected in place of other original frame section supporting the innermost bearing of the treble and second.

The installation was completely renewed in 1981. The bellframe consists of a grillage of steel girders housing five of the bells, with a steel superstructure containing the fourth bell, which is hung directly above the fifth. The second and third swing swing east to west and the others north to south.. The headstocks are hollow section and are made of steel, with welded gudgeons, roller bearings, traditional wheels, spring steel stays and pendulum lever assemblies.

Dove says that the bells are in the key of D, but the bell weights card from Taylors says Eb. The tenor is actually 1196Hz (D plus 32 cents).

The first peal on the new bells was rung in 1981:

Keresley First Peal on 6

In the edition of The Ringing World of November 13th 1981 there was an advert explaining the then new pendulum slider with a steel stay mechanism that was first employed at Keresley – this system means that the bells do seem to be on slightly “springy” stays when you grab hold of the rope!  It give pictures of the bells at the foundry.

Keresley RW 1981
The old bells were all by C & G Mears, 1848 – a ring of five, tenor 6-1-10 in Bb. They were rehung by Mears & Stainbank in 1898 and 1930.

Pleasant to hear and easy to ring.  You normally enter by the tower door, though you can get to the ringing chamber from the church, using the stairs to the organ and then going round the back. Parking is slightly tricky. A few cars can park half on/half off the pavement on the road by the tower, otherwise try the free car park a short distance away on Waste Lane.

BTW – pronounce Keresley in two syllables – “Kers”, “Lea”, or, if you are trying to sound posh, “Cars”, “Lea” – but we probably won’t understand you if you do!

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  1-2-00  18.75″   2010.0Hz (B+36c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  1-3-08  20.00″   1794.0Hz (A+33c)
3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  2-0-12  21.50″   1596.0Hz (G+31c)
4 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  2-1-22  22.375″  1507.0Hz (F#+31c)
5 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  2-3-08  24.50″   1340.0Hz (E+28c)
6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1980  3-3-10  26.25″   1196.0Hz (D+31c)

Inscriptions

All the bells have:

(Taylors’ Rectangular Mark)
1980

on their waist. Around their shoulder they have:

1 W. .J. ENSOR
2 S. BOWCUTT
3 C. D,. MOCATTA
4 DAVID OSBORNE
5 RUTH WHITTINGTON
6 (blank)
on other side of waist
R. WELLS
A. BANNISTER
L. GREEN

Details of the Previous Bell s

1 C & G Mears, London             1848  3-1-21  24.75″ F
2 C & G Mears, London             1848  3-2-03  26.50″ Eb
3 C & G Mears, London             1848  4-1-14  28.00″ D
4 C & G Mears, London             1848  4-1-24  29.50″ C
5 C & G Mears, London             1848  6-1-10  32.75″ Bb

Inscriptions

All 5 bells were inscribed:

C & G MEARS FOUNDERS LONDON 1848

Photo Gallery

Keresley East.Source: Mike Chester Keresley West. Source: Mike Chester
The Church –
Looking East
The Church –
Looking West
Kersley Font. Source: Mike Chester Kersley Ringing Chamber. Source: Mike Chester
The Font The Ringing Room
Kersley 4th Bell. Source: Mike Chester Kersley Tenor Source: Mike Chester
The Fourth in the
Upper Frame
The Tenor
Treble to the Right
5th bell to Left,
Frame for 4th Between
Kersley 5th Bell. Source: Mike Chester Layout 5.1
The Fifth.
Note the Sprung
Steel Stay, Pendulum Slider & Girder Frame
The lower frame layout