[Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

Tue Apr 15 11:39:21 BST 2008

As CJP has said, tower acoustics have so much to do with it. But I heard Ballarat TH bells at Whitechapel before and after tuning, the latter process having quite trandformed them. I can readily believe that they sound even better in the tower.
As to Richard's claim for Pluckley (C&G Mears 1855), he must of course admit to his tender years - I very much doubt if he rang there before they were rehung in the early 60's. Even the late Bill Hughes said that they were a b... awful ring, and wondered what he would do with them. Extensive tuning resulted in an excellent ring.
Simon Reading is in my view quite justified in his praise of the 1874 M&S cast / 1934 JT tuned eight at St Mary's RC Cathedral Sheffield. What a fine ring they are. I had always thought that it was Mears who tuned and rehung them. I was surprised when discussing them with someone else only the other day to hear them described as a "dreary old eight".(We were really talking about their predecessors, the present notorious steel eight at St Mary, Moseley, but that was not trhe cause of his remark!).
Just goes to show how subjective one can be!

DLC     
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Richard Offen 
  To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 9:49 AM
  Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

  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 nYUsz8Eew_PAhe8OiVwZ5Tj4fkn61vyb6RET6SyWJ3TbXdJQx-z7vYFBD_mTDZvTgkcfEik_4zLHrLMyVbl6-s8wMEmCEmQ.yahoo.invalidom]
  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
  > A company registered in England Wales. Company no. 02426132
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