[Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

[Richard Offen]

I am told that Ballarat Town Hall (M & S 1869), tuned by Whitechapel a few
years ago, are superb too, but I haven't yet rung there ...been to a formal
dinner in the hall, but not rung there!

R

-----Original Message-----
From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Simon Reading
Sent: Tuesday, 15 April 2008 4:43 PM
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

Another good example is St Marie (RC) Cathedral, Sheffield (8, 25-0-4) 
cast by Mears in 1873, tuned by Taylors in the 1930's

Richard Offen wrote:
> 
> 
> 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. 
> 
>  
> 
> SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems Limited
> Registered Office: Sigma House, Christopher Martin Road, Basildon, Essex 
> SS14 3EL
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