[Bell Historians] G&J Colours.

[David Bryant]

> I think that the correct designation of "Taylors' colour" is Burgundy.

Personally, I'd have said it's brighter than burgundy. From what I can tell
from chipped paint, the original paintwork of the York Minster installation
(1925) appears to have been grey.

> I believe Fred Pembleton uses scarlet,

His headstocks are certainly red - a slightly brighter shade that Taylor's.

> Don't know what Naylor Vickers used on their ironwork, but certainly they
painted their bells grey (presumably to make
> them look more like conventional ones) - there is still a fair bit of
evidence, notably at Moseley. Eayre & Smith did that
> excellent job at Thornborough, and after cleaning the bells painted them
black with Waxoyl. Unfortunately, when I visited
> the birds had got in and introduced a colour scheme of their own !

The ex-Basaleg ones were sandblasted before being installed at the museum in
Sheffield, and the museum debated what to do about a coating. In the event,
they didn't want anything put on them, and by the time they made it to the
museum (only a couple of weeks after they were sandblasted) they had a
patina of rust again.

David