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Bellringing
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Tower Captain: Jeff Cousins 020 8394 0572
Affiliated to The Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers and the Guildford Diocesan Guild (Leatherhead District).
Sunday Service Ringing: 9.00 - 9.30 am & 5.45 - 6.30 pm (Evening
varies)
Practice: Tuesday 7.30 - 9.30 pm
The Tower
History
The old church, the tower of which still stands in the churchyard, contained a peal of six bells. When the new church was built in 1848 the bells were transferred to the new tower. In 1890 the two tenors were recast and the peal augmented to eight by the addition of two trebles. The bells were re-hung on ball bearings with some new fittings in 1925. In 1970, the whole peal was re-hung in a new frame with mainly new fittings. A serious fire in the church in 1973 fortunately did little damage to the tower and ringing was only temporarily suspended for a few weeks.
| The first full peal (minimum 5000 changes) on the bells was rung on 26 December 1892. The peal board commemorates the event. | Exactly 100 years later to the day, the same composition
was rung to mark the anniversary and another peal board marks the
occasion. This peal was, by coincidence, the 200th peal on the bells. |
||
 |
 |
Tower Details
The tower is built of brick with stone facing externally. It is about fourteen feet square internally, and some sixty feet high from ground level. There is a flat lead roof with decorative pinnacles at each corner. Access to the bells is via a staircase to the ringing chamber, with a steep staircase from there to the very low intermediate sound chamber added directly under the bells during the 1970 rehanging. The frame is of cast iron on steel joists, and the whole installation has been generally trouble-free in the thirty years since. The provision of striking adjusters in the steel headstocks has proved to be very useful.
The clock is housed in the ringing chamber, and dates from 1799. Winding is by electric motors for chiming, striking and going, which replace the original hand-cranked mechanisms. Chimes for the quarters strike on the two, three, four and seven, with the hours being struck on the tenor. There is no Ellacombe or similar chiming apparatus.
The Bells
|
Bell
|
Weight (cwt.qtrs.lbs) |
Diameter
|
Note
|
Inscriptions |
| 1 |
4.0.1 |
2' 2" |
F# |
MEARS & STAINBANK WHITECHAPEL FOUNDRY LONDON REV. JOHN THORNTON VICAR. JOHN H. BRIDGES, GEO. WOOD CHURCHWARDENS ADDED 1890 TO COMPLETE THE OCTAVE |
|
2 |
4.1.15 |
2' 3½" |
E# |
Same as the above |
| 3 |
5.1.10 |
2' 4½" |
D# |
AT PROPER TIMES MY VOICE I WILL RAISE AND SOUND TO MY BENEFACTORS
PRAISE LESTER & PACK LONDON FECIT 1767 |
|
4 |
5.3.27 |
2' 7" |
C# |
LESTER & PACK LONDON FECIT |
| 5 |
6.2.3 |
2' 8¾" |
B# |
OUR VOICES SHALL WITH JOYFUL SOUND MAKE HILLS AND VALLEYS ECHO ROUND LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1767 |
|
6 |
7.0.11 |
2' 10¾" |
A# |
T MEARS OF LONDON FECIT 1830 ALEX. BAILIE VICAR JAMES ANDREW, EDWD. NEALE CHURCH WARDENS |
| 7 |
9.1.19 |
3' 2" |
G# |
MEARS & STAINBANK WHITECHAPEL FOUNDRY LONDON "TO HONOUR BOTH OF GOD AND KING OUR VOICES SHALL IN CONSORT RING" RECAST 1890 |
|
8 |
12.2.2 |
3' 7" |
F# |
MEARS & STAINBANK WHITECHAPEL FOUNDRY LONDON THE REV. JOHN THORNTON M.A. VICAR JOHN H. BRIDGES A.C. FUGGLE CHURCHWARDENS RECAST 1890 |
The original inscription on the seventh bell was retained when it was recast but not that on the tenor. This previously read:
THE REVD JAS HALLIFAX DD VICAR OF EWELL
Wm JUBB & JNo STENT CH WARDENS
H KITCHEN JUNR & J ALLINGHAM OVERSEERS
LESTER & PACK OF LONDON FECIT 1767
It should be noted that one of the churchwardens changed between the casting of the new trebles and the recasting of the tenor in 1890 suggesting that they were done at different times.