[Bell Historians] Wolverhampton

[David Bryant]

> I am pretty sure that Wimborne were on ball bearings from the 
start - and 
> metric at that (There was a RW article about it a few years ago). 
So perhaps 
> W'ton were the same.

I think you might be right, at least in the case of the tenor. David 
Bagley has kindly emailed me photos of the back two bells, and the 
bearings to the tenor certainly appear to be the Gillett type, with 
the greaser on top. The framework and fittings are pretty much a copy 
of a Taylor installation - box-section headstock, cast iron H frame, 
etc.

The 11th's bearings, so far as I can see from the photo, look to have 
Taylor-type housings. As Taylor's had not really started using ball 
bearings other than experimentally in 1911, I doubt whether Gilletts 
could have copied. Presumably the housings must be by Whitechapel.

I've been caught out by housings such as these before - the middle 
six at Exeter Cathedral have bearing housings which appear to be by 
Taylor's, but I know that these bells were still on plain bearings 
until the early 1990s, when Whitechapel rehung them at the same time 
as they replaced the headstock on the tenor. Presumably they used 
these types of bearing housings to match the mounting holes, although 
that said the Exeter tenor has ordinary (and very large) SKF bearing 
housings. Have Whitechapel used Taylor-type housings elesewhere? Do 
they make the housings themselves or buy them from Taylor's?

David

p.s. David Bagley also emailed me individual recordings of each of 
the Wolverhampton bells. If anyone (Bill?) wants them then please ask 
either David or me.