[Bell Historians] Charlton Adam

[David Bryant]

"As an example I am still trying to get the Church to figure out what they 
are going to do with Hennock Bells - these are an anti clockwise ring of 4 
hung for swing chiming, which were re hung in the late 70's, they have all 
modern fittings ( no stay or slider) but were rehung in the old medieval 
frame. 6 or 7 years ago we were ringing them for a wedding when the 
knocking of the treble got worse. Following a look by myself, followed up 
by a formal inspection by Andrew Nicholson the bells are now, due to the 
frame, deemed unsafe to swing. The problem is the parish is about 20 
strong, they spent a significant sum to have them done up and it is 
difficult if not near impossible to go back and ask people for more money 
after only 20 years."

I can think of a three in North Yorkshire where the situation is similar.
They were 'restored' for swing chiming (without a faculty) within the last
decade or so, but the frame foundation beams are so rotten that in places
they are largely non-existent and this has not been addressed. The
churchwarden who let us in to have a look was obviously proud of the fact
that they'd had work done on their bells and we didn't really feel we could
say anything - how do you tactfully tell a church that they've wasted the
money? I did tell the diocesan bells adviser, who said that unless he
received a complaint from the parish there was nothing he could do, despite
the lack of a faculty. I left it at that - not much else I could do.

David