[Bell Historians] Re: Stanton St John

[Alan Birney]

--- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "davidhird_uk" 
<davidhird_uk at ...> wrote:
>
> --- In bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com, "Alan Birney" 
> <alanjbirney@> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> >         I think the term "expert" is not quite right. I think 
most 
> > on here will know of or encountered DAC Advisors who are 
> > not "experts".
> >          it was my understanding that a DAC Advisor should give 
> > sensible, unbiased reccomendations about work that may be 
needed, 
> > and if a particular scheme gives value for money, etc.
> > 
> >         I can't quite see how we have "expert" Advisors, unless 
> they 
> > have previousley had a long time in employment with a Churchbell 
> > hanging company or a long mechanical engineering experiance.
> > 
> >       If I use an example, someone who is a "proffesional" 
Gardner 
> > who rings bells and has no mechanical background- if they are 
> > appointed as a DAC Advisor, how can they be an expert?   They 
> might 
> > replace the odd rope or broken stay and they might have some 
> common 
> > sense, but does that make them an expert?
> 
> A similar situation exists with EH. A report I received from them 
> started off by saying 'On such and such a date, our expert on bell 
> frames, Mr ..... ......., visited....'.
> 
> I was completely baffled as to what made this person an expert 
since 
> he had essentially just come out of the blue with no bell hanging 
> experience that I or anyone else knew of. His advice made little 
> sense at the time.
> 
> David
>


       Thankfully, we didn't have to have them involved, but had 
they been, we would have challenged them if they had suggested 
keeping the 1880 frame- Its just rubbish really, shallow joints, 
small diameter tie rods, though the timbers are far larger than on 
most Mallaby jobs with heavier bells.

Alan