[Bell Historians] Steelwork into masonary

[Chris Povey]

Isn't it about time that the Central Council Towers and Belfries Committee (perhaps with the backing of EH, SPAB etc) produced some guidelines for Church Architects with regard to this??? If they did - perhaps cases like Kings Lynn and Kelveden would never have happened.

Matthew Higby, 23/2/07

Matthew: since you told me last year about the difficulties you'd experienced at Marshfield (and also from a telephone conversation I'd had previously with the tower captain at Kings Lynn), I've tried to obtain a written 'official' ruling about what should be used to build-in steel beam ends, particularly as a verbal view had been expressed somewhat widely previously. I took precisely the same view about this then as you are taking now. In fact, the subject was discussed at last Saturday's Towers & Belfries Committee meeting. 

A written 'official' statement has not been achieved yet. I shall be happy to give you some information on this off-line, as 'negotiations' are on-going.

With regard to Arthur Heywood's book, its title is: BELL TOWERS AND BELL HANGING - AN APPEAL TO ARCHITECTS. It is dated 1914. Let me quote from his Preface:-

'A considerable proportion of architects have concluded that such mischief (in towers) is largely due to the modern methods of bell-hanging (ie the methods we should be using now), and it with the purpose of endeavouring to disprove this conclusion, and to explain the conditions under which a peal of bells can be satisfactorily hung and rung, that I venture, with the support of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, to publish this pamphlet. Any success which may attend the efforts will be largely due to the valuable contributions of my coadjudicators.
In case any reader may care for some more general information on the subject of bells and ringers, I offer this in an appendix.'

and a bit from his Introduction-

'The purpose of this pamphlet is to make an earnest appeal to architects that they weigh more carefully the expert views of bell-hangers and ringers upon highly technical points in connection with bell-hanging, in which an immense advance has been made during the last thirty years (ie up to 1914). Few of our leading architects take the trouble to study the nature of this advance, yet few of them can afford to disdain the growing influence of the engineer on almost every species of building work. But the proposals of bell-hangers and ringers, mostly based on sound engineering proinciples, only too often meet with contemptuous rejection. Credo experto.'

There are many other little gems in this style. It is a superb book. Heywood was a Cambridge graduate of engineering.

The greatly unfortunate aspect about this book is that its words were printed almost 100 years ago - and we are still having problems with misguided professionals. How long does it take...?

Perhaps it should be reprinted and copies distributed to the misguided professionals.

Just one last quotation; it is his views on building in beam-ends:-

'With either form of casting (he is referring essentially to H sideframes) the tops are all tied together by a comparatively light framework of bars, and these, on each side of the tower, should have extensions terminating in angle plates, which should be firmly cemented far into the walls. It not infrequently happens that the architect will not permit the bell-hanger so to stay the upper part of the frame, but it is to be insisted on that these ties are effective in bonding together the walls as well as in checking the development of the frame oscillations. In Section IV Mr Lewis has given a comprehensive summary of the results of his elaborate and most carefully conducted experiments on the oscillations of bell-frames and the effect on the tower. His conclusions are, broadly, those of the late Lord Grimthorpe, distinguished, if not always appreciated, both as architect and engineer, who in a brief letter the The Times, reprinted in Section X, strongly advocates the rigid attachment of bell-frames to wall'.

Again, how long does it take?

Chris Povey           
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ringingworld.co.uk/pipermail/bell-historians/attachments/20070223/f8e43e13/attachment.html>