[Bell Historians] 'Jimmy' Groves, bellhanger

[Carl S Zimmerman]

At 22:16 +0000 2003/11/12, Dennis Powney wrote:
>... from my book 'The Bells & the Ringers of St. Nicholas Church, Bromham'.
>... Provide & securely bolt two cast iron stretchers.
>... Fit to the wheels of treble & 4 largest Bells rounded blocks 
>similar to those on wheel of 2nd Bell.
>... Overhaul & readjust all stays & sliders.

What was the function of the "rounded blocks"? If there had been no 
mention of conventional stays & sliders, I would have thought them to 
be stop blocks, a precaution against overturning provided by some 
American bellfounders on large swinging bells.

And what was the function of the "stretchers"? The American use of 
this word does not have any imaginable connection with bell frames, 
at least not in any context which I have ever seen.

Carl