Grid Reference:-
151/210543
Postcode:
CV37 6BQ
Bell Audio:-
Hear the bells
Guild Affiliation:-
Coventry DG
Peals Rung Here:-
Felstead Database
Sunday Ringing:-
0945 - 1025
1715 - 1755
Practice Night:-
Tuesday
1930 - 2100
History Of The Bells
A magnificent church with a central tower and spire near the river. Easy to see from a distance, but difficult to park near as the town gets busy with tourists. The most obvious connection is with William Shakespeare, whose remarkably simple gravestone is near to the high altar. During the day you enter through the main church door, after closing in the side of the transept to the left of it, and the way up to the bells is in the centre of the church.?
According to "Church Bells of Warwickshire by Tilley and Walters", in 1683 a new ring of 6, tenor c.14cwt, was cast by Matthew Bagley out of the pre-existing five bells. The tenor was recast by Richard Sanders in 1717 and the third by him in 1733. The treble was recast by Henry Bagley in 1742. There have eight here since 1887, the tenor weighing in at c.18cwt. Taylors recast the third and fourth bells and added two more to make the octave and provided a new frame and fittings. The inscriptions on these bells were all incised. There are photographs in the ringing chamber showing the old bells in their cast iron ?A? frame of that date.
Taylors recast and augmented the ring in 1948, producing effectively a brand new installation. They hang in a in a single level cast iron lowside frame. They go and sound very nicely indeed. They are a classic Taylor ring of that period. Tenor frequency equates to E-18c. All bells were cast with flat tops.
The local bells website states:-
"The first record of bells in the tower is from 1502 when a legacy of 6/8d (?0.33) was left
towards their restoration. We have no record of their number or weights. In October 1617 the churchwardens reported: "we were cited
Worcester because the bells were oute of order (Stratford was then in the Worcester Diocese). In December of the same year
£4 12d.
[£4.05] was paid for re-casting. The next bell-related memorandum in the Vestry minute book is from 1650: It was agreed upon yt
there shalbe a leavy made for the gathering of x.li. [£10] vizt. v.li. [£5] for the Towne, and v.li. [£5] for the parish to cast
three new belles......"
The local ringers removed the Warner bell of 1881, (4-2-12 with a diameter of 28.125"), from the old cemetery chapel and hung it for electric chiming as a service/sacring bell in 1994. The canons have been removed from this bell.
Details Of The Bells
1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 5-1-02 26.75" 1649.0Hz (G#-13c) 2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 5-1-10 27.50" 1468.0Hz (F#-14c) 3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 5-1-06 28.50" 1309.0Hz (E-13c) 4 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 5-3-14 29.75" 1231.0Hz (D#-19c) 5 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 6-3-08 31.50" 1099.0Hz (C#-15c) 6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 8-0-16 34.00" 979.0Hz (B-15c) 7 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 10-0-23 37.00" 869.0Hz (A-22c) 8 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 11-3-01 39.00" 820.0Hz (G#-22c) 9 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 14-2-02 42.50" 733.0Hz (F#-16c) 10 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1948 19-0-02 47.00" 652.5Hz (E-18c)
Details Of The Pre-1947 Ring
1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1887 5-0-08 2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1887 5-0-27 3 Henry Bagley I, Chacombe 1742 6-0-07 4 Matthew Bagley I, Chacombe 1683 6-0-26 5 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1887 6-3-22 6 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough 1887 8-2-06 7 Matthew Bagley I, Chacombe 1683 12cwt 8 Richard Sanders, Bromsgrove 1733 18cwt
Photo Gallery
None Available