Blews/Blackburn

[Alan J.Birney]

The St Josephs,Audley, Blackburn had a tower and one bell and was 
demolished in the early 1980s as it was not economic to renovate the 
building.
St Albans RC church, Blackburn, has a tower and I understand two 
electrically operated bells.
Ray Clayton and myself called into the church a few years ago on 
spec to see if we could find anything out about the bells there.
We met a church caretaker who led us up some stairs to what is 
essentially the lower level of the tower. At this level,there is a 
vertical metal ladder attached to one of the tower walls with a 
trapdoor. at ninety degrees to the ladder against a neighbouring 
wall, there are six holes in the ceiling that would be siutable for 
an Ellacombe chiming apparatus-There is no sign of any apparatus 
being attached to the wall(it has been replasterd at some time), and 
indeed the holes may not be for anything to do with the bells at 
all. There is no clock in the tower and there never has been so the 
holes cant be for that.
We were refused permision to ascend the ladder into the next 
level of the tower as "there are dangerous electrics up there".
I have written to the Priest asking for permision to look in the 
tower, but no permission has been forthcoming.
The tower at St Albans is of sufficent dimensions to hold a 
ringing peal of eight tenor 20cwt on one level, but from what we 
have seen of the tower walls, the tower would move quite a bit with 
a 10cwt six in there.
The parish has always been well supported financialy and they are 
carrying out a renovation of this richly decorated,very sizable 
building.
My personal contact in the parish tells me there is a bell to 
sound the angelus and a funeral bell and that they also used to hear 
a third bell at times. The priest tells me there are two 
Electrically sounded bells.
I am at a loss as to say where the "ST Annes bells" were 
actually hung.
The only known churches in Blackburn with chimes are ST Jude, 8 
bells 6-0-25 and St Bartholomew,Ewood, 3bells 2cwt plus a fourth 
seperate bell for lever chiming 2cwt.
Alan