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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, it will be good to see this=20
film!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>As can be seen, the spire - apart from the=
lowest=20
section (which formerly contained the treble and 4th) - had already gone by=
the=20
time the picture was taken.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>I have a flyer from the Landmark Collector=
's=20
Library - Demolished! ("another Pevsner, but with a difference: most of the=
=20
buildings described are not there any more.") entitled <EM>The Lost=20
Architectural Landscapes of Warwickshire. Volume 1 - The South. </EM>ISBN=20
1-901522-98-9 priced at =A319.95; and there on the flyer is the upper =
part of=20
Emscote spire caught horizontal with the hawser used to pull it over quite=
=20
visible. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>They clearly went a good way down aft=
er that=20
to the lucarnes at the top of the broaches, as that is all that is see=
n on=20
the bellhistorians image.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The flyer also shows that the portion of t=
he=20
(?west) wall abutting on the tower was still standing.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The son of one of my much-valued retired a=
ssistants=20
was Vicar of the parish in the 1980's and when I visited I asked questions =
about=20
the old church, whose disappearance had been much regretted (though th=
e new=20
contemporary church is a good building). Old photographs were produced=
=20
including what I was then told was "the moment they blew it up" - cert=
ainly=20
there were distinct puffs of smoke coming out at three levels in similar pl=
aces=20
to those discernible in the image. All that was left standing to any height=
was=20
the west wall up to about the top of the buttresses. I wonder if =
it=20
was that bit that fell down by itself?</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>At any rate, such things do happen. If you=
go to=20
Dickon's site <A=20
href=3D"http://kent.lovesguide.com/maidstone_st_paul.htm">http://kent.loves=
guide.com/maidstone_st_paul.htm</A>=20
and navigate to St Paul's Maidstone, you will see some Emscote-type picture=
s=20
which I took during the demolition of the ruins of that burned-out church. =
The=20
spire was demolished by steeplehacks before anything else was done.=20
I visited on the day the tower was supposed to come down, and it =
was=20
still standing when the men had gone. RCO went along early the next day - a=
nd no=20
tower. Fortunately it had fallen safely across the site of the west end of =
the=20
nave.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>The five chiming bells illustrated had a m=
ore=20
fortunate history than Emscote. When the new tower was built at=20
Wighton, they acquired the Maidstone bells which it was originally int=
ended=20
to recast into a light eight for the new church (the tower, again, wasn't b=
uilt;=20
and a new Vicar wasn't interested) and hung them with a new treble to make=
=20
six.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>DLC </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0p=
x; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>Fro=
m:</B>=20
<A href=3D"mailto:mike@m..."=20
title=3Dmike@m...>Mike Chester</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com"=20
title=3Dbellhistorians@yahoogroups.com>bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</A>=
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, February 06, 2005 4:=
39=20
PM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Bell Historians] Re:=20
Emscote</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><TT><BR>--- In <A=20
href=3D"mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@yahoogroups=
.com</A>,=20
"David Bryant" <BR><<A=20
href=3D"mailto:davidbryant@h...">davidbryant@h...</A>> wrote:<BR>> =
Dave=20
Cawley writes the following re. Emscote:<BR>> <BR>> Re Emscote.=20
Picturesque though Mike Chester's account is, it was in <BR>fact blown up=
=20
after the spire had been pulled down to the lower <BR>lucarnes. <BR><BR>I=
have=20
popped into the City Centre and had a look at film of the <BR>Coventry Ev=
ening=20
Telegraph for August 1967 in the Central Library. I <BR>seems that, for o=
nce,=20
David is not quite accurate.<BR><BR>Edition of Aug 2nd - Picture of workm=
en=20
inside the church, pews gone, <BR>floorboards being ripped up.<BR><BR>Aug=
4th=20
- story stating that there had been an attempt to pull down <BR>the top o=
f the=20
spire, but the cables, which had been put through the <BR>louvres by loca=
l=20
firemen, simply "cut through the old stone like <BR>butter". Anothe=
r=20
attempt was made on the spire was unsuccessful, "it <BR>rocked but refuse=
d to=20
budge" so it they moved to the church itself <BR>and brought most of if d=
own=20
by pulling out the pillars supporting the <BR>roof. There are pictures on=
a=20
different stage showing this happening <BR>and clearly showing that the s=
pire=20
was still on the tower.<BR><BR>(It also states that the churchwarden, one=
Mr=20
Ron King, had filmed <BR>the events for the church records. I wonde=
r if=20
the film survives.)<BR><BR>Aug 16th; headline, "Church tower defies workm=
en=20
... then falls.<BR><BR>"After defying several attempts* by demolition wor=
kers=20
to pull it <BR>down during the past fortnight, to the tower of All Saints=
'=20
Church, <BR>Emscote eventually cam crashing to the ground - on its own=20
accord".<BR><BR>It is as I suggested, they knocked a corner off the tower=
and=20
tried <BR>to pull it over, failed, had a conversation as to what to do ne=
xt=20
and <BR>whilst this was happening the tower came down.<BR><BR>The picture=
on=20
the page is the same as the one I posted and therefore <BR>it is of the m=
oment=20
that it came down. These events took place the <BR>previous=20
day.<BR><BR>Mike<BR><BR>*IIRC one of these did involve the use of=20
explosives.<BR><BR><BR><BR></TT></BODY></HTML>