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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As CJP has said, tower acoustics have so much to do
with it. But I heard Ballarat TH bells at Whitechapel before and after tuning,
the latter process having quite trandformed them. I can readily believe that
they sound even better in the tower.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As to Richard's claim for Pluckley (C&G Mears
1855), he must of course admit to his tender years - I very much doubt if he
rang there before they were rehung in the early 60's. Even the late Bill Hughes
said that they were a b... awful ring, and wondered what he would do with them.
Extensive tuning resulted in an excellent ring.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Simon Reading is in my view quite justified in his
praise of the 1874 M&S cast / 1934 JT tuned eight at St Mary's RC Cathedral
Sheffield. What a fine ring they are. I had always thought that it was Mears who
tuned and rehung them. I was surprised when discussing them with someone
else only the other day to hear them described as a "dreary old eight".(We were
really talking about their predecessors, the present notorious steel eight
at St Mary, Moseley, but that was not trhe cause of his remark!).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just goes to show how subjective one can
be!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>DLC </FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=richard.offen@HxzuK8XhPRpOjf1q54628RKqvGCGcSfWGwGs_RuGkU9Qk8-MAy02u94tWs8HZAbGGWOkhMhLtm-R9mCyrIS8OI-J4TrlxPaCbIfy7g.yahoo.invalid
href="mailto:richard.offen@hwNu90xgyDjI1i47OYHlcUOQMKIAfp7MO9KxlSV0w0LBwztYsIVUtua8NbaBj4UroN2QFfSm25bG34SxbkQGUIYj.yahoo.invalid">Richard Offen</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:49
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's
Denbigh</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV id=ygrp-text>
<P>I am told that Ballarat Town Hall (M & S 1869), tuned by Whitechapel a
few<BR>years ago, are superb too, but I haven't yet rung there ...been to a
formal<BR>dinner in the hall, but not rung
there!<BR><BR>R<BR><BR>-----Original Message-----<BR>From: <A
href="mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A>
[mailto:<A
href="mailto:bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A>]<BR>On
Behalf Of Simon Reading<BR>Sent: Tuesday, 15 April 2008 4:43 PM<BR>To: <A
href="mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A><BR>Subject:
Re: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh<BR><BR>Another good example is St
Marie (RC) Cathedral, Sheffield (8, 25-0-4) <BR>cast by Mears in 1873, tuned
by Taylors in the 1930's<BR><BR>Richard Offen wrote:<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
Contrary to popular belief (an prejudice!) not all later nineteenth <BR>>
century Whitechapel rings are bad. Certainly many of them have tuned <BR>>
up to produce superb rings – Pluckley, Kent and St Philip’s Church Hill,
<BR>> Sydney immediately spring to mind. Of course, there are others that
<BR>> leave an awful lot to be desired!<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
Richard<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
------------<WBR>---------<WBR>---------<WBR>---------<WBR>---------<WBR>---------<WBR>-<BR>>
<BR>> *From:* <A
href="mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A>
<BR>> [mailto:<A
href="mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A>]
*On Behalf Of *Bickerton, <BR>> Roderic (SELEX GALILEO, UK)<BR>> *Sent:*
Monday, 14 April 2008 11:33 PM<BR>> *To:* <A
href="mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.com">bellhistorians@<WBR>yahoogroups.<WBR>com</A><BR>>
*Subject:* RE: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh<BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
<BR>> Why do they sound so good?<BR>> <BR>> I thought I knew exactly
what to expect from a 3/4 Tn 1873 Whitechapel 8.<BR>> <BR>> Wrong, they
are very good.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Is anything known, were they
some sort of experiment, tuned by someone <BR>> different, cast by someone
else under contract or what? <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
<BR>> NBR <BR>> <BR>> " Denbigh, Clwyd<BR>> S Mary<BR>> Bell
Weight Nominal Note Diameter Cast Founder Canons<BR>> 1 4-2-10 F 27.00 "
1873 Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> 2 4-2-26 E 27.56 " 1873 Mears &
Stainbank Y<BR>> 3 5-1-23 D 29.75 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> 4
6-2-1 C 32.00 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> 5 7-1-2 Bb 34.25 " 1873
Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> 6 8-2-3 A 36.25 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank
Y<BR>> 7 10-0-11 G 39.50 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> 8 14-2-11 F
43.94 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y<BR>> Source: Chris Pickford (WBF 1873
data); Tim Jackson<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Contributed by: John
Baldwin<BR>> Last updated: 13/04/2008 "<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>>
I have been told that they are on offer for £22,000.<BR>> The funds raised
after removal costs and making good would be about<BR>£5,000. <BR>>
<BR>> That's not even the cost of one new bell. <BR>> The cost of
installing a similar new peal of bells would be around<BR>£150,000<BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> These bells are of interest being possibly the best
toned Victorian <BR>> ring of this weight to come out of
Whitechapel.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> The tower and bells were
designed and built to complement each other all <BR>> being designed at the
same time.<BR>> Tower foundation stone 6 July 1871, bells cast 1873, church
consecrated <BR>> 7 December 1875, although complete December 1874.<BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> Bell installations are usually compromised by
having to fit bells into <BR>> an early tower not designed for
them.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> The unity of design so very well
exercised has produced to my mind a <BR>> unique example of Victorian
excellence.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> It is shocking to find that a
chiming apparatus was fitted, probably <BR>> before the 1914/18 war which
has prevented these bells from being rung, <BR>> full circle to produce the
sound of ringing, which is part of the <BR>> heritage of these
lands.<BR>> In place the town has had the sound of a crude chiming device,
which <BR>> produces a thin poor tone reminiscent of continental
bells.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> The excellence of the engineering
results in the bells still being <BR>> capable of ringing as intended and
capable of being restored to a <BR>> condition of being regularly rung for
fairly modest expense, despite 100 <BR>> years of neglect.<BR>> <BR>>
<BR>> <BR>> I hope that this asset is not destroyed for such a small
financial gain. <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> I have taken recordings
inside and outside and provided they are o/k, <BR>> can be made available.
<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR>> SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems
Limited<BR>> Registered Office: Sigma House, Christopher Martin Road,
Basildon, Essex <BR>> SS14 3EL<BR>> A company registered in England
Wales. Company no. 02426132<BR>>
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