Maryvale

Our Lady of the Assumption (RC), Old Oscott Hill 8: 7-2-2 in Bb

Grid Reference 151/076945 Maryvale. Source: maryvale.org.uk
Postcode B44 9SP
Other Information Church Website

History

The parish was first created in 1669. In 1851 the Sisters of Mercy were offered the building by Bishop Ullathorne for the founding of a home for orphans. The chapel was the parish church. This was no longer big enough with the expanding poplulation of the area and a new church was built in 1954-7 to replace the previous church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. George Bernard Cox and Bernard Vincent James of Harrison & Cox were the architects.

The church has a large west tower of brick. Access to the bells is by a long vertical iron ladder close to the north wall. The bells are hung from deadstocks on the in two rows on the north and south sides of the tower. Bells 1, 3, 5, 7 hang on the north and 2, 4, 6, 8 on the south. Originally there was an electro-magnetic hammer in each bell and they were played from a piano-type keyboard – set out for 13 bells, with the semitones omitted – in the organ loft over the porch.

The chime was overhauled by Taylors in 2009. New hammers were fitted and an “Apollo Programmable Chime Controller” added. It has a push button keypad for manual operation by pressing buttons labelled 1-8.

(Most of the above information is quoted directly (with permission) from the research notes of Chris Pickford)

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  1-0-24  17.875″
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  1-1-16  19.00″
3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  1-3-12  21.125″
4 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  2-2-00  23.125″
5 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  3-1-22  26.00″
6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  4-0-14  27.50″
7 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  5-1-18  30.875″
8 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1963  7-2-02  34.00″

Inscriptions

All the bells have JOHN TAYLOR & CO. * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1963 * around the shoulder and 7 crosses, spaced evenly, around the soundbow. The bells are also inscribed on their waists with a saint’s name

  1. PATRICK
  2. TERESA
  3. MARY
  4. THOMAS
  5. JOSEPH
  6. FRANCIS
  7. PAUL
  8. MARYVALE 1963
    PETER

Photo Gallery

Maryvale Bells. Source: Taylors
The Bells