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I'm slightly reluctant to contribute on this topic because I am not
at all wedded to the idea of "listing" - one reason I have turned
down invitations to re-join the CBC Bells Sub-Committee - and have
some sympathy with the concerns addressed. Nevertheless, I think we
need to be a little kinder to those who are attempting to identify
bells of historical significance. I use the term "listing" for
brevity - aware that this does not have the same status as listing
for historic buildings.<br>
<br>
A few points:<br>
<br>
1. David Knight should be well-known to all of us. He is, and has
been for quite a while now, the member of staff at the CBC with
responsibility for bells. He is simply updating "Dove" with bells
that have already been identified by the CBC Committee as
significant and not doing so arbitrarily or on a personal basis<br>
<br>
2. As with the whole equally thorny issue of listed buildings, the
process of identifying and grading significant examples simply
cannot be done on the basis of consensus or through liaison with
owners and custodians. To do so would result in even greater
inconsistency, with "listing" being limited to examples where
custodians (for the time being - another generation might think
differently) give consent, while (arguably) "better" examples are
not because the church concerned doesn't like it. <br>
<br>
2a. Notification of parishes is another matter. I do have some
sympathy with the idea that churches should be told if their bells
(and any other fittings) are listed - though suspect it might add
significantly to the admin (and cost) of the CBC's work<br>
<br>
3. Thus the process has to be independent, and it is one for which
the CBC (and the CCC previously) has taken responsibility for some
decades now. The lists were originally drawn up by the likes of F.C.
Eeles (CCC staff), H.B. Walters and Fred Sharpe, but revised by
Ranald Clouston in the 1970 and 1980s. At that time listing <i><b>was</b></i>
virtually a personal assessment by the individuals concerned, albeit
with input from others, but (as I recall) without a formal CCC
approval process. But it was not unthinking - and Ranald worked very
hard, carefully considering a range of issues, to come up with lists
that were fair and acceptable.<br>
<br>
4. While members of this list may have concerns about the current
listing process and its application, I think it is only fair to
recognise that the system is now operated a) according to stated
criteria and b) that bells identified as historically significant
are only added to the lists by due process (including committee /
Council approval). So in that sense, things are rather better than
they once were<br>
<br>
5. Also, the lists now specify what makes a bell "significant" - in
line with the general principle that proposals to undertake works on
historic buildings and artefacts should be accompanied by statements
of a) need and b) significance. What actually appears in the list is
often just the most striking of several aspects that have been
considered. If you don't believe that identifying significance can
be difficult, then try writing a statement! It's surprisingly hard
not to be subjective. How do you make comparisons between objects
that are similar but different - and not alongside as you try to
assess them? And how broad do you cast the net (e.g. geographical
area) in trying to take an overview? <br>
<br>
6. I'm wary of these statements as a result, because the fact that
the brief is to identify significance means that it tends to get
overstated. Better to have them than not, on the whole, but given
the difficulties (5) it's wrong to get too bigged down in quibbles
about minor errors of fact (heaviest example etc) when that may only
be an element in a broader-based assessment. Accuracy is perhaps not
quite so serious a problem as it might seem. The lists of historical
buildings (which I use regularly in my work) are equally
inconsistent and full of inaccuracies, but they provide an
independent overview of the "building stock" in the same way that
the CBC lists aim to do for bells.<br>
<br>
7. If there are going to be lists, then it seems reasonable to me
that they shouldn't just focus on highlights. Surely all those big
John Wallis bells of the early C17 are important - and which one
happens to be the heaviest is pretty much immaterial. <br>
<br>
8. Mention has been made of tone. I think I do welcome the move
towards listing of truly excellent - and relatively modern - bells
like Westbury. There has always been a degree of recognition that
tonal quality matters - there was, for instance, reluctance to
"list" the old steel eight at Moseley because listing might have
prevented eventual replacement - but this was always coupled with a
realisation that judgment could be too subjective. Ranald,
certainly, did not wish to saddle a parish with a poor bell or
bells. But is poor tone a reason not to list a bell that could be
preserved for historic interest out of use? Probably not. <br>
<br>
Yes, listing can be restrictive - a major concern. <br>
<br>
But a decision has been made that there should be lists of bells and
a system has evolved to do the job. Given the complexities of the
process and the range of issues, I'm not sure that the system we
have is too bad. It's easy to criticise obvious errors and
inconsistencies, but in the bigger scale of things they're not over
important. <br>
<br>
What is being attempted here is a national overview - and, quibbles
apart (like Preshute), most bells in the lists deserve to be there.
I remain a sceptic, but I'm very willing to recognise the value in
what the CBC has now created. <br>
<br>
<div class="moz-signature">-- <br>
Chris Pickford
4 Walmsley Court, High Street, Kinver, DY7 6HG
Tel: 01384 878435 or (mobile) 07811 453525
E-mail: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:c.j.pickford@talk21.com">c.j.pickford@talk21.com</a> or (interchangeably)
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:c.j.pickford.t21@btinternet.com">c.j.pickford.t21@btinternet.com</a></div>
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