Grid Reference:-
140/990895
Postcode:
B69 4DN
Bell Audio:-
None Available
Guild Affiliation:-
Worcester & Districts Assoc
Peals Rung Here:-
Felstead
Database
Unringable
History Of The Bells
Oldbury has moved counties more than most towns! Historically it is part of Staffordshire. It was transferred to Worcestershire in 1844 and to the West Midlands 130 years later. The original chapel, having one bell of 1733, was replaced by a new church in 1840/1 at a cost £4507. The old bell was put up in the new tower, along with a new one cast by Thomas Mears of London. It was decided in June of 1887 to raise the height of the tower and to replace the two bells with a ring of 8. This was completed by December of the same year. The total cost of the work amounted to over £800. The bells, cast by Warners, cost £360 and the frame and fittings cost a further £120. The tower was raised by the addition of a top stage (16ft) with pinnacles (9ft), with sound openings all round. This cost £220 and there were incidental expenses amounting to £120.
The bells were cast with "Doncaster Heads" and hung in a two tier wooden frame, with 2, 4, 6 & 7 above the others. Whitechapel rehung the bells on ball bearings in 1937. Though some 64 peals were rung on the bells they became unringable by the mid 1960s. This was partly due to the excessive tower movement that had always be present. Apart from a couple of times in the 1980s these bells have not been rung since. The church itself was declared redundant in 1991 in order that it could be redeveloped for joint secular and religious use. The nave of the church was converted into offices, the chancel being retained as the parish centre for worship under a licence dated 25 February 1992.
During the course of the conversion work the interior of the tower was gutted up to the bellchamber. A new concrete floor was put in below the bells. The lower stages of the tower are now occupied by a staircase giving access to the offices. The clock has gone. The bells are intact but they are now disused as there is nowhere to ring them from and there is only limited access through a small hatch in the new floor.
(Most of the above information is quoted directly (with permission) from the research notes of Chris Pickford)
Details Of The Bells
1 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 3¾cwt 25.25" 2 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 4cwt 26.375" 3 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 4½cwt 28.125" 4 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 5½cwt 30.00" 5 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 6½cwt 32.25" 6 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 7cwt 33.875" 7 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 8¼cwt 35.75" 8 John Warner & Sons, London 1887 10½cwt 38.75"
Photo Gallery
None Available