Slaidburn

[Alan Birney]

 Does anyone have details of the ring at Slaidburn prior to the 1843 T 
Mears II ring of six please?

    Local legend has it that a new, heavier six were installed in the 
old lowside frame for six in 1843, but I'm not so sure. The bells are 
certainly tightly packed in on one level, with bells 2 and six having 
a gallow end on their pits, and some frameheads having gouges cut to 
allow bells to swing.

     At the time of the 1927 rehang, the second was recast, canons 
removed from the remaining five bells, and all new fittings apart from 
some wheels which were reused and a slender RSJ fitted under one 
foundation beam and the frame strengthend. More recently, the frame 
recieved additional strengthening by Taylors Eayre & Smith Ltd.

        For what they are, they sound quite grand and go quite well, 
remembering that they are quite a heavy, slow turning six.

Alan