[Bell Historians] Old frame at great st mary's cambridge

[Richard Smith]

Thanks for posting this, Chris, as I hadn't seen the details 
of the old frame layout either.

It's consistent with what I knew.  I'm told by the late 
Chris Johnson, who rang regularly on them regularly while 
they were still anticlockwise, that the ringing room used to 
have a raised platform on the north side from which the back 
three bells were rung.  You can still see signs of where 
this must have been if you lift the carpet.

The bells from the old Seage apparatus were mounted high on 
the north wall behind the tenors.  It was only fitted on 
eight bells – accounts vary whether this was 2-9 or 1-8 – 
but was not in use by the early '50s.

Chris also said that the northwest corner around the treble 
was rather cramped, with the tenor and treble ropes falling 
quite close together.  This frame diagram seems to bear that 
out, and there must have been a fair amount of rope draw 
around that corner.  It probably also didn't help that the 
clock weight shaft was in that corner, though I don't know 
whether it went through the bell frame or stopped below that 
level.  The bell chamber floor was entirely replaced during 
the work in the 1950s, so there's no evidence left there.

Also interesting to see that the sanctus bell – we now call 
it the priest's bell – was in the middle of the north wall, 
and I wonder whether it was in use at all at this time.  So 
far as I can see, the only rope path down to the church is 
in the southeast corner of the ringing room.  But perhaps it 
wasn't used during the early twentieth century.

After the rehang in the '50s, it was hung on a lever for 
chiming in the middle of the east side of the bell chamber, 
again between 10 and 11.  It's now mounted above the clock 
bells in the southeast corner.  I think I've seen it used 
once in the 28 years I've been ringing at GSM.  A shame, 
really, as it's not a bad little bell; I suspect the work of 
Richard Holdfield or possibly the first Tobias Norris.

RAS



c.j.pickford--- via Bell-historians wrote:

> 
> Yes, they were anti-clockwise. Here is Paul Taylor’s sketch plan of the old
> frame layout, drawn in 1949
> 
>  
> 
> Chris Pickford
> 
>  
> 
> From: Bell-historians <bell-historians-bounces at lists.ringingworld.co.uk> On
> Behalf Of oliver Lee via Bell-historians
> Sent: 27 January 2024 22:11
> To: Bell-historians at lists.ringingworld.co.uk
> Cc: oliver Lee <oliverbellringer at outlook.com>
> Subject: [Bell Historians] Old frame at great st mary’s cambridge
> 
>  
> 
> According to many old sources there is some suggestion that the pre 1952
> frame orginally anti-clockwise and this is also true of the old ten at
> Maidstone ( which where of course recast five years later in 1957), I have
> often wondered what their layouts where and weather there are any  plans of
> them prior to removal. 
> 
> I’d be interested to know more 
> 
> Many thanks 
> 
> Oliver lees 
> 
> 
>