[Bell Historians] 3 bell restorations

[Bickerton, Roderic K (SELEX) (UK)]

The contrasts across the country are so startling.
Southwark is an amazing track record of sustained achievement.
Leicestershire has an outstanding record of installation and
augmentation as well, and others like Warwickshire.

Compare that to Oxford where according to my 1976 dove there were 158
towers 
1974 1 x 6, 6 x 5 and 2 x 4 unringable
2008 7 x 6, 8 x 5 and 4 x 4 unringable.
This eliminating boundary change towers, and knowing that the new
unringables really were ringable, as I have recorded visits to them all.
Number of new rings, Trivial.
Loss of 3's dreadful, half of those I rang in the 1970's are now out.

All this typiffied by the totally negative, and very obstructive
behaviour shown to me over Stanton St John.
These are now ringable, and were 1/4 pealed for the pre Christmas Carol
service.

A league table would make interesting reading.
Oxon is not the only county of dying towers.
 
	

Dove 1962  & guild report 2006 give:

                1962       2007

12           1              3

10           4              4

8              22           38

6              44           61

5              21           14

Total      91           120


Ah! I had forgotten about the Southwell Diocese, probably because many
of the lesser numbered rings are augmented when restored. I know a few
people are against augmentation, but at the end of the day, there is
more chance of bells being rung regularly - and of retaining a band - if
there are 5 or 6 bells rather than three. There are quite a few very
ringable 3 bell towers in the Oxford Diocese, but to my knowledge only
one, Didcot, has a regular band of ringers. That said, I think it is
more likely that the bells are heard more frequently at those towers
where the bells are hung for ringing, than those where lever chiming is
the mode. There will be an occasional visiting band and ringing can be
provided by other towers for weddings & special services.


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