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<DIV>There is a to be a restoration of a long unringable six in our area. Sadly
there is insufficient room in the tower to preserve the old bellframe
intact.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There are basically two main options to preserve parts of the
bellframe, all of which preserve one of the framesides in position:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>1) Carefully dismantle the bellframe and mount four of the best framesides
and cills on the ringing chamber wall, where they can be viewed in safety with
good lighting (this has been done to good effect at Corfe Castle, Dorset). Leave
the supporting beams in position and build the new bellframe in above them.Have
framed drawings of how the bellframe developed, hung on the ringing chamber
wall.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>2) Cut all of the framesides in half, horizontally, leaving the cills and a
small part of the braces in position. The new bellframe would then need to be
put in at an even higher level, with the lip of the tenor when up, being level
with the top of the sound exits. This would give no safe access for interested
parties to inspect the preserved timberwork (effectively it would be entombed
between 2 floors). Only the poorest example of a frameside would be left intact,
all upper parts of the framesides being discarded.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>What I want to know is - what do people think about preservation? Is it
better to preserve framesides and cills out of context, where people can view
them, or leave less of a bellframe, in context but inaccessible??</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Opinions please??</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Matthew</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2 PTSIZE="10">Matthew Higby & Company Ltd,<BR>Church Bell
Engineers,<BR>Jasmine Cottage,<BR>The Street,<BR>Chilcompton,<BR>Bath,<BR>BA3
4HN.<BR><BR>www.bell-hangers.com</FONT></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>