[Bell Historians] Daily Telegraph letter

[Richard Offen]

What is factually incorrect about my letter?   

 

The fact that there are some preserved rings was not the point.   Bells were
made to be rung, not left silent.

 

The example of a collapsing frame is an extreme one, but it is factually
correct that most bell installations, when not used, are totally forgotten.
I can think of a number of examples where we know for a fact that the
inspecting architect did NOT visit the belfry as part of a quinquennial
inspection, so the potential for collapse is real in some cases.

 

What ever the answer, it's purely academic as my letter wasn't published!

 

Richard

 

  _____  

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Bickerton, Roderic (SELEX GALILEO, UK)
Sent: Monday, 26 October 2009 6:27 PM
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Daily Telegraph letter

 

  

I do not like the letter because it is factually incorrect.

there are a fair number of examples of "preserved rings" around.

Churches are inspected and collapse is prevented.

The sad site meeting the very rare visitor is one of bells in there pits
there mouths resting on timbers taking the load off decayed framework and
fittings, the whole supported on underpinning beams, the original frame
supports having long since rotted where they enter the tower walls. 

Nothing destroyed, historically complete, and utterly useless.

 

Sometimes the utter stupidity of the situation is underlined when you find
out that because of H&S the only person ever allowed up to see the mess is
the church architect, which does beg the question as to who the preservation
is for.

 

 

  _____  

From: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com [mailto:bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of Richard Offen
Sent: 22 October 2009 15:15
To: bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [Bell Historians] Daily Telegraph letter

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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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