The Bells

The church possesses a ring of 8 bells in the key of G as described in the table.

*G International Pitch = 392 c.p.s.

IN 1920 the original bells were recast, and rehung, with two new bells being added.  This was paid for by James Groves of Heathfield Park as a thanksgiving for the ending of the Great War.

All the bells are sound, and are of good castings and are of fair tone and tune.

As can be seen from the table above, the strike notes of the bells become increasingly sharp towards the treble end with the three smallest being conspicuously sharp with respect to the tenor.

They were all cast before their founders fully understood the harmonic structure of bells and in consequence of this their various harmonic tones are a little "wild". In particular, the hum notes are well sharp and the 2nd partials, particularly in the smaller bells, are well flat.

It is hoped that at a future date improvement in both pitch relationship and general musicality will be corrected by careful treatment under the tuning machine.

The three smaller bells were made with canons of the squat "Doncaster" pattern, and these remain fully intact.

The five larger bells were made with the conventional modern type flat crowns.

All bells have centre holes for independent staples and the five larger bells are drilled for through bolt fixing.

The Tenor bell bears the inscritption 'In multis annis resonet campana Johannis' (May John's bell ring out for many years to come). 

The Fittings

The bells are equipped with fittings for full circle change ringing which date mainly from 1920 although the bearings, pulleys and clapper tops have more recently been replaced whereas the centres of the six larger wheels pre-date the 1920 re-hang.

The tenor and 7th bells hang from hollow cast iron headstocks with fitted steel gudgeons.

The six smaller bells hang from steel headstocks, each made from two lengths of rolled steel channel, and with steel gudgeons bolted to short lengths of steel channel bolted beneath the main headstock channel beams.

All gudgeons, which are tightly secured into position, run on double row self-aligning ball bearings in cast iron plummer block housings. These ball bearing units were provided by John Taylor and Company of Loughborough in 1974.

The five larger bells are attached to their headstocks with four through bolts each.

The three smaller bells are attached with two U.bolts each which loop around the canons and pass upwards to steel bars spanning the tops of the headstocks.

The clappers are of wrought iron, and all incorporate "eye" top ends, fitted in 1986, and have mechanically insulated Tufnol bearings running upon stainless steel hingepins spanning the jaws of independent staples which bolt up through the crowns of the bells and headstocks above.

The clapper bushes and hinge pin arrangements are in good condition and exhibit little wear.

The 4th and 2nd bells hang noticeably out of level and are "odd-struck".

The Bellframe

The bellframe is a composite structure of Oak and steel and was made in 1920 when the six bells were recast and augmented to eight.

It is designed to accommodate the eight bells upon one level with the tenor, 7th, 4th and 3rd swinging north-south and the 6th, 5' , 2" and treble swing east-west.

With the exception of the framework adjacent to the south wall, the structure is of Oak and comprises horizontal top and bottom timbers with diagonal braces between.

The framework is a relatively tight fit within the belfry area and for this reason the framework against the south wall was manufactured of steel in order to save space.

A single frame side is in place supporting the stay ends of the 6th and 5th bells.

T. sections run horizontally top and bottom with four pairs of flat X.braces between.

The frame is supported on four 12" x 6" rolled steel joists spanning the tower east-west and with their ends rigidly built into the tower walls immediately above an off-set which supported the previous bellframe.

In each case, the beam ends bear upon padstones which spread the loads over a reasonable area.

The Tower

The tower is of masonry construction, capped with a hollow timber spire, and stands conventionally at the west end of the church.

Access to the ground floor ringing chamber is via a wide doorway in a timber screen fitted across a large arch in the east wall which leads directly from the nave.

In former times, a doorway on the west side gave access to the churchyard however this has now been built in.
Access to the first floor clock chamber is via a spiral staircase in the south-east corner the door of which is at the west end of the south aisle.

The first floor is approximately 24'-0" above the ground. A rope guide has been installed at a height of approximately 12'-0" to steady the bellropes thus easing their handling qualities.

A conventional weight-driven turret clock is housed in a timber case adjacent to the north wall.

The clock is arranged to drive external dials on the north and south walls which are positioned level with the sound openings and with the dial on the south wall being driven by a rod which passes horizontally across the belfry approximately 2'-0" above the top of the bellframe.

The intermediate chamber has a clear height of approximately 14'-0" measured to the underside of the former belfry floor, which is still in position, and approximately 16'-0" to the underside of the present belfry floor which comprises thick timber boards laid across the bottom flanges of the steel beams supporting the bellframe.

Most of the bellropes are drawn slightly within the height of the clock chamber to improve the quality of the circle in the chamber beneath. The draw is however slight and no pulleys or flap boards have been fitted to guide or steady the ropes.

A stair ladder rises up the east wall to give access to the second floor belfry via a trapdoor at the south end of the 3rd pit.

The bells hang level with sound openings on all four walls which are louvred against the worst of the weather and wired against birds.

Contact Tower Captain

Link to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry