[Bell Historians] Hunslet

[Michael Childs]

Chris

I appreciate your personal fondness for Warner bells
of that period, and as David said, the intention was
never to scrap the ring, but to have them transferred.

The original intention was to create a new 8 from the
back for of the Highfield chime, and to use two of the
chiming bells and two new Taylor bells. This would
have certainly made a fine ring, and it is a shame
that the plan never came to fruition. 

A 13cwt 8 would be far more suitable for the current
tower, which remains after the body of the church was
demolished and rebuilt in the 1970s. As a result of
this there is considerable movement, and having rung a
peal on the 7th in the sweltering heat this August I
would not exactly describe the bells as "easy"!

It is obvious that the locals also had a certain
fondness for the bells, as in 1939 the decided to have
four new chiming bells cast and the bells rehung in
the existing wooden frame, instead of having the
existing bells recast.

There are certainly far worse eights around than
Hunslet, and some of the peals I have rung there have
been very good, but I don't intend to ring one there
in August again!

Michael














--- Chris Pickford <c.j.pickford at t...> wrote: >
Michael Childs wrote "Hunslet, ... are ... not
> exactly rewarding!"
> 
> I'd just like to enter a mild plea for slightly more
> sympathetic treatment of the existing eight at
> Hunslet (Warner 1863 - tenor 18-1-19 - retuned by
> Taylors in 1939). I have a slight fondness for
> Warner rings of this weight and period which I
> generally find more rewarding than Taylor or
> Whitechapel rings of the 1870s and 1880s. I rather
> enjoyed Hunslet when I rang in a peal there a few
> years back. 
> 
> I'm not under any illusions as to their tonal
> quality by modern standards, but I think they
> deserve better than being swept away for a lighter
> peal. Variety is important, and Hunslet are a
> better-than-average example of a mid-Victorian ring
> of their type - and by no means difficult to ring. 
> 
> A mild plea, as I say, for taking stock of the
> merits of the existing bells - and a challenge to
> the view that newer and lighter automatically equals
> better.
> 
> CP 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

=====
<P><FONT face="Arial Black" size=3>Michael Childs </FONT></P>
<P><A href="mailto:mtchilds at y..."><FONT face="Arial Black" size=3>mtchilds at y...</FONT></A></P>

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