[Bell Historians] Charlton Adam, Somerset

[Richard Offen]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Bickerton, Roderic K \(SELEX\) 
\(UK\)" <roderic.bickerton at ...> wrote:
>
> 
> If I remember the Sedgfield story was even worse. Wasn't a lot spent 
on
> repairing the old tanner which was obviously such a bad casting that 
it
> could never been be half decent, and it had to be replaced and is now 
in
> the tower as a chiming bell.
> Repairing it at all was a bit destructive of history as it largely
> covered up the original casting problems, which were interesting and a
> good exhibit.
> 

It was cracked and was welded by Soundweld in the early 1970s - hardly 
likely to have been a hugely expensive job.   If I remember correctly, 
it was a fifteenth century bell by a London founder, which was, 
uncharacteristically for that particular founder, very poorly toned.   
I seem to remember that we decided it had probably sounded as bad 
before it cracked as after welding.

I don't think you could say that the welding process was particularly 
destructive.

Perhaps other things have happened to the bell since then.


R