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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I have rung here, both before and after
the 1988 rehanging. The tower is central, and 135 feet high. There is a high
lantern stage which takes up the majority of the tower, leaving the very top
section for the bells and ringers.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>There is considerable tower sway, and the
bells were certainly a handful before the 1988 rehanging. I rang the tenor here
in 1986 to a peal attempt of <st1:place w:st="on">Yorkshire</st1:place>, which
was soon abandoned in favour of a quarter peal attempt for Bob Major. It was noticeable
that a number of the bells dropped, for example the fourth every time it passed
the tenor. For the quarter attempt, the conductor employed a composition that
used fifths/fourths; he missed a bob at fourths, leaving the tenors parted.
This resulted in the tenor suddenly becoming harder work to ring! At this time,
the bells were hung in the 1890 <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Taylor</st1:place></st1:City>
composite frame, with wooden headstocks and plain bearings.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>When the bells were rehung in 1988, the
existing frame was retained, but the old tenor was found to be a poor and
porous casting, and was recast over two hundredweight heavier. The wooden
headstocks were replaced with box-section cast iron ones with ball-bearings. The
fact of the bells being more tucked-up on the iron headstocks seemed to reduce
the tower movement a little, and the bells seemed easier to ring, though still
a handful.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Whilst I would regret the scrapping of a
fine heavy Taylor bell, the simple fact of the matter is that the bells were
hung far too high in the tower, especially given the weight, but it would have
been impossible to hang them any lower without gutting the inside of the tower,
doing away with the lantern arrangement and building new floors in the tower.
Whilst there is a local band and some enthusiasm in the area, the bells as they
existed up to last month would certainly have been a challenge for any band,
and simply too heavy to be so high in such a tall central tower.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I have no doubt that the decision to
re-model the bells into a lighter ten is absolutely the right one, which should
not only reduce the tower sway considerably, but also give the local band a much
lighter diatonic six to ring. I’m impressed that the locals have been
able to find the money to fund the work and implement it so quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Incidentally, there used to be a superb
website for <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Ludlow</st1:City></st1:place>
bells, but it seems have disappeared.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Andrew Bull<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> <st1:PersonName
w:st="on">bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</st1:PersonName> [mailto:<st1:PersonName
w:st="on">bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</st1:PersonName>] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>David Bryant<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> 23 December 2008 00:03<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> <st1:PersonName w:st="on">bellhistorians@yahoogroups.com</st1:PersonName><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> RE: [<st1:City w:st="on">Bell</st1:City>
Historians] <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ludlow</st1:place></st1:City></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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<p><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"I
do not know the bells" ...there you have the answer.<br>
<br>
Too big and too high in a fairly wobbly central tower.<font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>”<o></o></span></font><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:navy'>And a lantern tower, which probably means there is no room to hang
the bells any lower (I’ve not been up there, but from photos of the
church this appears to be the case).<o></o><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt;
color:navy'>If I remember rightly (and I think I do) there was a plan a few
years back to augment the existing eight to 12 plus a sharp 2<sup>nd</sup>,
using the two Kidderminster bells as the trebles of 12, but this idea was
abandoned because the tower wasn’t considered to be strong enough, hence
the subsequent remodelling to a lighter ten.<o></o> </o><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><font
size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>It makes sense
once you know the circumstances!<br>
<br>
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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