[Bell Historians] Re: Coalbrookdale was Warners bells

[jimhedgcock]

---> I well remember Doug Hughes telling me that his Father told the 
> Cathedral Authorities at the time of the installation that it would 
> not work acoustically and even put forward a plan to make it work, 
> but was virtually told to mind his own business by the Cathedral 
> Architect!
> 
> I've always been of the opinion that at the top of the tower of 
> Liverpool Cathedral is a magnificent ring of bells, just waiting to 
> be put into a more sympathetic tower! I'm sure that, today, quite 
a 
> lot could be done to improve them, even in their present position.
> 
> R

Arrogant architects still exist. There is a church where thousands 
of pounds have been wasted on ineffective sound control. The 
inserted floor has a gap between it and the walls, so that the ends 
of the foundation beams can be inspected. As you can imagine there 
were protestations, but the PCC went along with the architect, who 
would not listen to reason.
There were lots of stories about Liverpool Cathedral even in the 
relatively short time between their inauguration and my beginning to 
ring there in @ 1962. I have heard that a felt jacket was used to 
cover the bourdon so that it was not set off vibrating by the ring. 
I was also told that the felt was stolen! Other stories were that 
the circle in the ringing chamber should have been screened off from 
the rest of the room and that the screening should have been extended 
into the next chamber, the ring being enclosed in a large, louvred 
wooden box.
>From what Richard says, these stories seem unlikely to be true.