[Bell Historians] Stolen Bells

[Neil Skelton]

I well remember visiting this tower for The Churches Conservation Trust (the
the Redundant Churches Fund) in the 1980s. On one occasion I did manage to
ascend the tower. I have a vague recollection of there being some timber
framework at the bell stage. It was a tricky operation as vandals had broken
in and smashed some of the ladders. On the same trip I got up the residual
tower of St Mary, Birkenhead. By that time the Dobson six had been scrapped.
It was some consolation that the metal provided two trebles for St
Nicholas's, Wallasey. TCCT is no longer responsible for the tower at
Birkenhead and is now within the Priory grounds.

Neil.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sue Dyson" <sue.dyson at v...>
To: "Bell Historians Digest" <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 9:27 PM
Subject: [Bell Historians] Stolen Bells


> In 1976 the chime of 5 bells at Christ Church, Heaton Norris, Stockport
were
> stolen (Warner 1896). I don't think the bells were recovered, as we found
> bits of the remains in the churchyard. Some of this metal was made into
the
> badge of office for the Master of the Chester Guild, by Neil Lomas from
> Wilmslow.
> The local Council were considering for some years what to do with the
> redundant church building and we did not realise that the bells were still
> in there (strictly it was in Manchester Diocese). It was this lack of
> information that set me off compiling the list of bells in the Chester
> Diocese and also got me elected as Bells Consultant to the Chester DAC
(such
> a post did not exist at the time for either Chester or Manchester
Diocese).
> The main body of the church was gutted by arson in 1977 and now only the
> tower remains beside the main A6 road from Stockport to Manchester.
>
> Peter Dyson
>
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