[Bell Historians] 3 levels...

[jimhedgcock]

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I have had the experience of ringing peals at Oldham. They can be 
very challenging. I was disappointed with them until I was in the 
town one day whilst a peal was in progress. They are magnificent 
outside - same sort of situation as Shepshed.
Tommy Hesketh from Halewood, Liverpool, told me when I was a young 
lad, that he had lost a peal attempt at Oldham when Gwen Howlett was 
having difficulty with one of the light bells and the rope was 
lifting her skirt. It finally had its death knell when a male ringer 
lost his trousers. When the sally went up the rope end lifted the 
tails of his shirt to reveal his private parts, there being no 
underpants present!
The band fell apart in fits of laughter.

The eighth bell is regarded as 'the ladies' bell, it being the 
lightest on the bottom tier.

In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, David Bryant <david at b...> wrote:
> > Grace Dieu I would imagine. Another candidate must be Wilton 
(Taunton). I know the 2 tier frame at the Forset Guernsey was 
augmented with another tier (and a very good little 6 they are too!). 
I am pretty sure the frame at St Ewe was (re)constructed recently too.
> > 
> > I suppose you could argue that St Ewe is the only real 3 tier 
bellframe out of these - the others being 3 tier installations - i.e. 
separate frames mounted one above the other.
> 
> Wilton are indeed on 3 levels, but as Matthew says they are really 
three separate frames. The 9th is on its own at the bottom, then the 
others in two further separate frames above. I think the middle one 
is timber (or possible composite) and the others iron or steel, but 
it's years since I've been up there.
> 
> The primary example of a three-tier frame must be Oldham, where the 
fairly heavy twelve are in a 3-tier cast iron frame.
> 
> David
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