[Bell Historians] Hatfield Yorkshire

[Ted Steele]

On 24/02/2023 08:04, Roderic Bickerton via Bell-historians wrote:
> .......  When I spoke to the church authorities I was told that the 
> heating system is coming to the end of its life and was likely to be 
> replaced in the not too distant future, ..... From Ted's reply I would 
> guess that that situation has somewhat reversed. Just tapping the 
> bells revealed that they would be a truly excellent ring. The frame 
> layout is very careful they all swing the same way in the strongest 
> direction of the tower. It is a massively constructed timber frame, 
> and looks a superb piece of work.


Rod is quite correct in his account of the heating system at Hatfield; 
also in his supposition that the position got reversed. Quite simply 
when replacement or repair became unavoidable the church could only 
afford to repair. He is also correct that the bells are considered a 
truly excellent ring; some said the finest in Yorkshire although others 
say that honour now belongs to Howden, although they were cast later. I 
should have added in my post that I was told by a curate (If I recall 
correctly) that the church architect had never seen such distressed 
stonework as that on the north side of the tower at Hatfield. This 
however seems hard to credit in the light of future developments.

The frame is indeed substantial and was installed in 1876 along lines 
proposed by Lord Grimthorp; it was strengthened when the new peal was 
hung in 1927. These details are from an article by Harold Walker about 
the re-opening of the bells; RW Vol. XXIII, page 38, Jan. 20th 1928.

Ted