[Bell Historians] 19th century bells

[David Bryant]

oakcroft13 wrote:

> I still maintain that, given a tower that doesn't sway, good internal
> and external acoustics, and fittings in tip-top condition, you get a
> smashing ring whatever the tuning, within reason. I recently rang on
> a moderately heavy peal of eight, true-harmonic tuned to the n'th
> degree, which did not possess these attributes, and to me they were a
> great disappointment.

I could add that I think many people (especially ringers!) greatly
underestimate the importance of tower accoustics. A moderate ring can
sound good in an accoustically generous tower, but in an accoustically
poor tower they will sound poor. Even good bells will not sound as good
as they could if they are in an accoustically poor tower. For instance,
the bells at Towcester sound really super, but apparently at Todmorden
they sounded quite good but cold because the bellchamber was mostly
louvres so they couldn't resonate. In being moved, they sound better,
and the reverse is true where a highly rated ring can be moved after
great trouble has been taken to save them and people ringing on them in
their new home wonder what all the fuss was about. Yes, there is a very
good example of this.....

David