[Bell Historians] St. Mary's Denbigh

[Simon Reading]

DLC is quite right - St Marie's were retuned by Mears in 1934/5. I was 
confusing them with another fine late 19th century Mears ring of bells 
near here - Bakewell, Derbyshire cast in 1895, retuned by Taylors in 
approx 1960.

David Cawley wrote:
> 
> 
> 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 <mailto:richard.offen at 73TuTi5XIfezODd7c81GXmcCVgmBlXkRk6YWMxaOv7-iWhprn_V6WUoLbh-0ZkevA4z6teL0BagZJk1UtWKp8FU.yahoo.invalid>
>     *To:* bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto: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 yahoogroups.com>
>     [mailto: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
>     <mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.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%40yahoogroups.com>
>      > [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.com>] *On Behalf Of *Bickerton,
>      > Roderic (SELEX GALILEO, UK)
>      > *Sent:* Monday, 14 April 2008 11:33 PM
>      > *To:* bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
>     <mailto:bellhistorians%40yahoogroups.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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