[Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

[Richard Offen]

Contrary to popular belief (an prejudice!) not all later nineteenth century
Whitechapel rings are bad.   Certainly many of them have tuned up to produce
superb rings – Pluckley, Kent and St Philip’s Church Hill, Sydney
immediately spring to mind.   Of course, there are others that leave an
awful lot to be desired!

 

Richard

 

  _____  

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Bickerton, Roderic (SELEX GALILEO, UK)
Sent: Monday, 14 April 2008 11:33 PM
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

 

Why do they sound so good?

I thought I knew exactly what to expect from a 3/4 Tn 1873 Whitechapel 8.

Wrong, they are very good.

 

Is anything known, were they some sort of experiment, tuned by someone
different, cast by someone else under contract or what? 

 

 

NBR 

 " Denbigh, Clwyd
S Mary
Bell Weight Nominal Note Diameter Cast Founder Canons
1 4-2-10  F 27.00 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
2 4-2-26  E 27.56 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
3 5-1-23  D 29.75 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
4 6-2-1  C 32.00 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
5 7-1-2  Bb 34.25 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
6 8-2-3  A 36.25 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
7 10-0-11  G 39.50 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
8 14-2-11  F 43.94 " 1873 Mears & Stainbank Y
Source: Chris Pickford (WBF 1873 data); Tim Jackson

 

Contributed by: John Baldwin
Last updated: 13/04/2008  "

 

I have been told that they are on offer for £22,000.
The funds raised after removal costs and making good would be about £5,000. 

That's not even the cost of one new bell. 
The cost of installing a similar new peal of bells would be around £150,000 

 

These bells are of interest being possibly the best toned Victorian ring  of
this weight to come out of Whitechapel.

 

The tower and bells were designed and built to complement each other all
being designed at the same time.
Tower foundation stone 6 July 1871, bells cast 1873, church consecrated 7
December 1875, although complete December 1874.

 

Bell installations are usually compromised by having to fit bells into an
early tower not designed for them.

 

The unity of design so very well exercised has produced to my mind a unique
example of Victorian excellence.

 

It is shocking to find that a chiming apparatus was fitted, probably before
the 1914/18 war which has prevented these bells from being rung, full circle
to produce the sound of ringing, which is  part of the heritage of these
lands.
In place the town has had the sound of a crude chiming device, which
produces a thin poor tone reminiscent of continental bells.

 

The excellence of the engineering results in the bells still being capable
of ringing as intended and capable of being restored to a condition of being
regularly rung for fairly modest expense, despite 100 years of neglect.

 

I hope that this asset is not destroyed for such a small financial gain. 

 

I have taken recordings inside and outside and provided they are o/k, can be
made available. 

 


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