[Bell Historians] west Overton wiltshire

[Neil Skelton]

The church was rebuilt in 1877-8 to the design of Charles Ponting.  Of the former ring the 16th.c Bristol Foundry fourth and the 1606 tenor by John Wallis survive. Formerly three bells the old second of 1683 was recast and three bells added by Gillett & Co in 1883.
 
I carried out an inspection of the bells (my first as Salisbury Diocesan Bells' Adviser) in May 1980. Currently I am unable to lay hands on my report but I do recall the back five bells being in the lower timber frame with the treble in a separate frame above. At the time of my inspection there was considerable frame movement though much it being transferred from the unstable treble frame. What I cannot confirm is whether the bell frame is co-eval with the rebuilding of the church or from the earlier church. 
 
At the time of my visit I was harangued by the tower captain, a retired and irrepressible naval captain, who told me what he was going to do to stabilse the frame and to rehang the bells. I told him to hold fire until he had been in receipt of my report. However, he decided to fix a steel hawser with an adjustable bolt from the treble frame to the lower frame which merely transferred much of the movement from the former to the latter. He had plans to hang the bells on new bearings and to quarter turn the bells but he abandoned the latter when I pointed out the clapper staples were cast-in the bells. I was most concerned at his proposal to secure the headstock gudgeons with a single bolt which also served to secure the stay on each bell. This work went ahead against my advice and that of the archdeacon. At this point I washed my hands of the church. 
 
The bells have been rung on and off over the past few years. I recall ringing there about five years ago when the bells appeared to go quite well. More recently I understand Matthew Higby has visited with a view to putting the bells in good order. Doubtless Matthew can bring up to date the position at West Overton.
 
Neil Skelton

> On 26/11/2023 23:38 GMT oliver Lee via Bell-historians <bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> wrote:
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> Just out of mere curiosity would anyone happen to know anything about the ringability of the 11cwt six here?, according to many accounts they where made ringable in 1959 by  Geoffrey dodd but I get the impression that they are now unringable ( according to the SDGR website) due to frame problems. I’m also curious to know if any frame plans or reports exist as one  particular letter to the ringing world describes them as having a “medieval “ frame,  this seems particularly  odd bearing in mind that the tower seems to have been rebuilt in the 1880s.
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> Many thanks
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> Oliver lee
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