[Bell Historians] Bellframe at St Nicholas, Charlwood, Surrey

[bill at hibberts.co.uk]

Can anyone help with dating the bellframe at this church? The frame
was originally a four bell frame, modified later to add two more
bells. I have attached a plan of the frame, and a photo of one of the
original trusses.

 

Key dates in the history of the church and bells are as follows:

*	The 1553 (sic) inventory gives four bells
*	According to an article in RW1972 pp693-694 the top of the
central tower was built, or rebuilt, around 1660  
*	Stahlschmidt in 1884 gives 1 & 2 Janaway 1764, 3 Eldridge
1697, 4 Eldridge 1668, 5 Mears 1835, 6 Eldridge 1662
*	In 1925, the Janaway and Mears bells were recast and the frame
strengthened by Whitechapel.

 

The design of the frame is not like that at St Nicolas, Great Bookham,
built to house an Eldridge bell dated 1675. The Bookham frame has
king-posts with braces, not scissor braces as at Charlwood. The extra
truss inserted across the centre of the Charlwood frame to allow two
more bells to hung is clearly an addition. The timber of the truss is
less in section than the original frame and has clear parallel
saw-marks. The lower member of this truss buts against one of the
scissor braces, covering the securing pegs, and the halved joint at
one end of the head is secured by a bolt. The corresponding joints at
Bookham are secured with pegs and cotters.

 

My conjectural history, based on no more information than presented
above, is that the original frame held the 1553 bells (and is
therefore at least that old), the 1553 bells were replaced by four
Eldridge bells between 1662 and 1697, and the additional cross member
was added in 1764 to support the Janaway bells.

 

Has anyone with greater knowledge inspected Charlwood? Elphick doesn't
refer to it in his Sussex book, though the tower is only a mile from
the Sussex border.

 

Regards,

 

Bill H

 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ringingworld.co.uk/pipermail/bell-historians/attachments/20251104/26193b54/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 20251103_161413.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 2283271 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.ringingworld.co.uk/pipermail/bell-historians/attachments/20251104/26193b54/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: charlwood_frame.png
Type: image/png
Size: 17354 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://lists.ringingworld.co.uk/pipermail/bell-historians/attachments/20251104/26193b54/attachment-0001.png>