Grid Reference:-
151/261385
Postcode:
CV36 5AH
Bell Audio:-
None Available
Guild Affiliation:-
Coventry DG
Peals Rung Here:-
None
No Regular Ringing
History Of The Bells
Until 1931 this village was in Worcestershire. It had become part of the Diocese of Coventry on its formation in 1918; formerly being in the Worcester Diocese. The church is of late C12 origin, with the tower being added in C13. Though there is still some late C16 work in the chancel, it was largely rebuilt in 1874/5.
The bells were rehung in a new frame of deal (or pitch pine) by Henry Bond of Burford 1901, at a cost of £39/15/-, at the same time he rehung the bells at Shipston on Stour. The sanctus bell hangs between two beams in the roof of the tower.
Andrew Marchant has recently inspected these bells and this is his report, amended with notes from Chris Pickford.
The West tower consists of 3 stages. The ground floor is the ringing room and is also open to the rest of the church. The ropes fall in nearly a straight line along the south wall of the tower and look to be in good condition. A ladder (hinged at ceiling level) in the north west corner gives access through a trap door to the intermediate chamber. This room is unusual in that it has an alcove on the church side and also doesn't have a ceiling. As a result the bells and frame are immediately above.
An aluminium ladder gives access to the bellframe level and where the sound openings are. Above the bells (just below the pyramid roof) are 2 beams crossing the top of the tower at right angles forming a cross shape. The sanctus bell is hung between the east west beam and another to the south. This beam is quite crumbly.
The treble is 26½" in diameter, cast by Robert Atton in 1619 and it weighs around 4cwt.
The second is 30" in diameter. The inscription is "Sancte Petre Ora Pro Nobis". It is a late pre-reformation bell from the Reading foundry and it weighs around 5cwt
The tenor is 31" in diameter. It was cast by Bartholomew Atton in c1570 (using Newcombe's lettering). It weighs around 6cwt.
The Sanctus bell is 11½" in diameter - an unidentified 15th century bell
The bellframe is wooden and looks to be in good solid condition. The treble in the south of the tower swings east to west and the rope falls to the west side of the wheel, which is on the north side of the pit. In the North of the tower the 2nd and Tenor both swing north to south, the 2nd in the west and the tenor in the east. Both ropes fall on the south side of the wheels. The wheels for both these bells lie on the east side of their pits.
The headstocks are also wooden and look in reasonable condition. These are distinctive with hoop gudgeons around the top of the bell.
The original canons have been removed from all the 3 bells and holes drilled through to secure them to the headstocks probably when they were rehung. The wheels are complete and are not loose on the headstocks and supported with 2 rusty wheel braces each. All 3 bells have stays fitted with no sign of damage and the sliders are unusual in being attached to the bottom of the bellframe. The treble has been one-eighth turned and the others one-quarter turned.
The plain bearings seem reasonably well lubricated although with no covers are suffering from some dirt in them. The bellframe and intermediate chamber floors are covered with a thin layer of dust, presumed mainly from when the roof was repaired and not just from falling off the walls. A splat of concrete was noticed on the treble bell itself. The clappers are suspended from cast in crown staples.
From a ringer's point of view the bells go well (even though we didn't oil the bearings) and are pleasant to ring. The set of the treble was however a little deep although this can easily be solved. The ropes were in good condition and correctly adjusted to the right length and showed no drastic sign of wear around the level of the floor. The floor however had grooves where in the past the ropes have obviously worn away the wood.
I would recommend in the short term that the points raised by the quinquennial survey could be easily sorted.
a. The woodworm in the pulleys didn't seem too severe but could probably be treated.
b. The rope holes can be fixed by attaching rope bosses to avoid the ropes wearing further grooves into the floorboards.
c. The metal work could be wire brushed down and red lead painted.
d.. The crumbly south beam that supports the sanctus bell probably requires professional attention as mentioned in the survey.
I would also suggest that the deep set of the treble is adjusted and the bearings cleaned and could be fitted with covers, to avoid further dirt getting in. This would be a simple DIY project.
In the longer term they will eventually need some professional attention from a bellhanger. Most importantly the cast in crown staples will need drilling out. This will then necessitate the need for the bells to be fitted with new clappers, headstocks and bearings.
A recent inspection by Taylors has noted that the woodworm is too severe in the wheels for the bells to be safely run full circle. Hopefully, this will be attended to in the near future.
Details Of The Bells
1 Robert Atton 1619 26.50" 4cwt 1261.0Hz (D#+17c) 2 Reading Foundry c1520 30.00" 5cwt 1148.0Hz (D-40c) 3 Bartholomew Atton c1580 31.00" 6cwt 1061.0Hz (C+24c)
Photo Gallery
The Sanctus Bell. |
General View of the Installation |
The Treble. |
The Second. |
The Tenor. |