[Bell Historians] Daily Telegraph letter

[Richard Offen]

The following has just gone off to the Telegraph:

 

Sir,

 

The English Heritage document, 'Conservation Principles Policies and
Guidance for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment' states:

 

"Our definition of conservation includes the objective of sustaining
heritage values. In managing significant places, 'to preserve', even
accepting its established legal definition of 'to do no harm', is only one
aspect of what is needed to sustain heritage values."

 

Church bells were designed to be rung, yes rung, not left mute like exhibits
in a museum case.   The very act of rendering bells silent by the insistence
of the retention of worn out and sometime dangerous fittings and bell frames
is to totally disregard every other aspect of the heritage value of church
bells.

 

Philip Venning's comparison with a vintage car is a total red herring.   I
cannot think of many vintage car owners who use their vehicles for their
weekly trip to the supermarket.   It is not the blindest bit of good bell
ringers ringing the bells in a neighbouring village church to summon people
to church in their own village.

 

If bells aren't used they become forgotten and left to fester high up in a
tower.   Eventually the bell frame gives up the unequal battle of supporting
the bells it contains and collapses, causing considerable damage to both the
tower fabric and historically significant bells.   Then who has won?

 

Yours etc.,

 

Richard Offen

 

Captain of the Bell Ringers

The Bell Tower

Perth

Western Australia

 

 

  _____  

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Robert Lewis
Sent: Thursday, 22 October 2009 9:58 PM
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Daily Telegraph letter

 

  

At 14:24 22/10/2009, Richard Offen wrote:

>I hope someone is going to reply to this incredibly crass piece of 
>correspondence. I know that one of the ringers in Hobart has 
>already sent an e-mail letter to the Telegraph.

I hope so too - but I don't think it will be me. I doubt that they 
would publish two letters from the same individual within the space 
of a couple of weeks. The response needs to be short and pithy in my 
view (more chance of getting published that way as well).

Maybe you are the man for this task Richard!

RAL



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