5

THE BELFRY

Church Bells (recast - 1895: Mears & Stainbank, Whtechapel Bell Foundry, London) at church gate - 1896. (Previously, only extant visual image of All Saints bells.)

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SECTION 4 (Bells 5 - The Belfry)

Here we plod on up more clockwise spiral stairs to the next floor (level 2) which is the belfry (bell-stage) and its securely housed heavy mechanical appliances of traditional sonic sciences.The jewels in the crown.

SECTION 5 (Bells 6 - Roof With A View)

Finally (as a bonus!) we squeeze up steps (that are no more than narrow winding ledges) almost to a weighty wooden roof ceiling with wind vane base piercing through to its secure foundation in the tower wall. From here we (cautiously) emerge through a south facing Tudor Arch side door onto the breezy bell tower roof (which features wide panoramic vistas of Maiden Bradley village and surrounding landscape). A rather splendid rotary weathercock silhouette, swiveling on fixed NESW compass bearings - up on the turret to our left - keeps proving wind direction.

(Do open a new tab/s in your browser for Bells 1 Bells a-z and/or Glossary to keep up with any unfamiliar terms.)

click pics to ENLARGE

UP MORE STAIRS

Colin leads the way out of ringers room up to belfry. . .

I follow and glance back.

Here we are now (circled).

Bell chamber door safely locked.

Looking up (more clockwise stairs to tower roof).

Looking down (take care not to trip in).

"DANGER - BELL IS UP - NO ADMITTA - NCE"

(Let's find out why!)

My knowledgeable guide holds belfry door open. . .

BEYOND THE DOOR

Bell 4 - Bb (B-flat) in up position (see below).

Panning down. . .

. . .and panning up.

Natural light.

Definitive shot.

Now let's sweep (visually) around chamber. . .

What's this?

And these?

Secure knot - but why?

Natural light shot (instead of flash).

Three (of 6) bells.

No bats to be seen (yet).

It's all about wheels...

. . .pulled by ropes.

FOR INFO ON HOW ALL THIS WORKS - SEE BELOW.

(Bell image pic reversed to simulate down.)

Bells 6

The final section of our investigation will detail the very narrow spiral stone steps which lead up onto the roof and there we visually document the quite spectacular panoramic views of Maiden Bradley village and its local landscape. . .

Let's find out more about how the bells work. . .

Diagram from James Bryant's excellent overview of campanology.

Westminster Abbey bells on the Royal Wedding day (29-04-2011)

Before they can be rung in changes, the bells must be rung up to their raised position (upside down). Once there, they rotate full circle and strike once, then rotate back full circle and strike once more. The motion is controlled by the ringer through the rope. It is this control that allows a ringer to place a bell in the right place in the changes. The photos, video, and animated diagrams, show the bells in the raised (up) position.

There are over 5,000 bell towers for change ringing in England, with less than 300 in the rest of the world. At the top of the tower, the bells are hung in a wooden or metal frame with each bell fixed to the axle of a large wooden wheel that pivots in ball bearings on the frame. A rope is tied to the wheel spokes, runs partly round the rim and falls through holes and pulleys to the ringing chamber below. Clock hammers sit adjacent to the bells and are used to strike the clock chimes. Most bell towers contain six or eight bells, with many also having five, ten or twelve bells. There are also towers which have four or less, although they are not generally used for change ringing.

For funerals a single bell will be rung and will typically be rung without 'ringing the bell up'. This type of ringing is called 'tolling' the bell. When the bells are to be rung for a church service, for instance on a Sunday morning, or for a wedding, the bells can be most simply run as 'rounds'. When the bells are rung in 'rounds' the bell sequence progresses from bell 1 to the highest bell and then repeats. This provides a sound that increase in pitch, on a diatonic scale. Ring bells in patterns other than 'rounds' originate in the 17th century and was chronicled by Richard Duckworth and Fabian Stedman in the books Tintinnologia and Campanalogia. Change ringing involved the changing of the order in which the bells are struck - other than sequentially from 1, 2, 3 onwards (rounds). In change ringing no attempt to produce a musical melody is made. However, the bells are rung following a mathematical pattern. more

Canons

Canons are the metal loops cast at the top of the bell. They are the means of attaching it to a wooden headstock. The All Saints bells were refurbished in 1994 by Robert Parker and his assistant Mr Woollen, Taunton, Metal headstocks were fitted to all 6 bells. In photo above, V shapes on bells are the canons - not needed for metal headstocks. [see Bells 3, pic 27 for framed refurbishing inventory]

Bell clapper muffles (to reduce volume and soften sound) for commemorative occasions.

Muffled and Half Muffled Ringing

Commemorative ringing is undertaken with the bells half-muffled. Leather pads are tied to each clapper but only on one side. As the bells swing in one direction, the side of the clapper without the pad will strike the bell normally, as the bells swing back, the side of the clapper with the pad will strike producing a quieter muffled sound. It produces a lovely quiet echo reserved for sad or solemn occasions. Fully muffled ringing is not usually carried out. It might be if the death of a sovereign was announced.

source

Bell Statistics