[Bell Historians] Re: Ash stays

[Richard Offen]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "David Bryant" <david at b...> 
wrote:
> > Moore, Holmes and MacKenzie fitted stays to the centre of their
> > somewhat unorthodox headstocks at the end of the nineteenth
> > century. The four at Surlingham, Norfolk used to be fitted thus
> > (anyone know if they still are?).
> 
> Yes, they are. The bells were augmented to six by topping and 
tailing by
> Eayre and Smith - treble hung in empty pit in frame, tenor in new 
pit
> beneath. The fittings of the four old bells were conservatively 
restored.
> These are the first cast iron canon retaining headstocks (I don't 
count the
> Crediton headstock as a proper canon retainer, as it is basically a 
copy of
> a timber one, and would have had canon straps).
> 
> David

If I remember correctly (it's 30 year's since I rang there!), they 
also had a fairly unorthodox design of clapper as well. I'm sure 
DLC or Paul Cattermole will be able to refresh my memory!

R