[Bell Historians] Seages apparatus

[David Cawley]

The apparatus in S John on the Wall is not a Seage's. The apparatus was 
installed after the wartime ban on ringing was imposed and enabled the tied 
bells to be swung - electrical contact being made through wires and contact 
established by a small attachment to the wheels.
A Seage's apparatus usually has its individual bells placed adjacent to the 
respective ropes; the action is entirely mechanical.
 The S John's bells, apparently a former set of handbells,  hang in a row in 
a box, rather a la Carter's Ringing Machine. The S John's Ringing School 
apparently made great use of the apparatus for years after the war and was a 
pioneer of sorts of the ringing centres of to-day. I don't know when the 
Ringing School finished its activities, nor when the apparatus broke down, 
but in my time in Bristol (1983-95), even after the church passed to the 
CCT, both School and apparatus were spoken of with appreciation by older 
Bristol ringers.
I have to say that I rang that tenor to a good many many quarters and never 
remember the box being inconvenient, and I'm pretty tall!
If my opinion as a former regular at S John's, and a former DAC Bells 
Adviser was asked, I would deprecate the removal of the apparatus with all 
its links with a critical period in the ringing history of Bristol.

DLC


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Matt Dawson" <matt.dawson at djq-f2BuwY4QFeS8dxMsuURjLDGWFqwDL3m7GMn_OqupJYg8GL9RoCXaXGaaC59Q5cHL1mrm5Rj8B9o5gXWgbZ4.yahoo.invalid>
To: <bellhistorians at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2012 10:04 AM
Subject: Re: [Bell Historians] Seages apparatus


On 5 January 2012 18:43, George Dawson <george at _lKZ2AlAGhL6yD1nABC_M-IBcs1uG6MPBG2uveePGU0qywvaltjG2cbytq2LpGf-AG5SDxdrjefzDxl4kxEwYYpiKkBt7Hjl.yahoo.invalid> 
wrote:
> Someone enquired about the ‘silent’ ringing apparatus.
>
> Could they contact me please.

If anyone fancies having a look at what's left of the Seage's
apparatus at St John on the Wall, Bristol, they'd be more than
welcome. The box in the ringing chamber containing the small bells is
annoyingly close to where the tenor ringer's head wants to go, and, as
much as I'd like to remove it, I don't want to have vandalised
something of historical value...!

matt


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