Taylors Install New ladders to provide safe access to the Belfry.
Carl (from Taylors) with two helpful volunteers move the old ladder out of the way and install the new custom made ladder.
In addition to providing safe access to the floor above,the new ladder provides maximum space for bell ringers by being hinged, allowing it to be folded flat against the wall when not in use.
The new custom made ladder awaiting installation.
Manoeuvering the ladder into the tower.
The new ladder being secured to top hinge
New ladder installed and leading to new enlarged access hatch.
'Spring Clean' of the belfry
Volunteers (Ian Wilgress, Alison Wilgress, Geoff Stockwin, Barry Prior) clear years of pigeon nests from the tower intermediate floor and the belfry in preparation for the removal of the bells later in the week.
Cleaning the belfry and intermediate floor was a filthy job requiring facemasks.
The consolation is that the belfry is a room with a view! (until the louvres are replaced during renovation work later in the year).
And the intermediate chamber after cleaning.
Old tower ladder secured in new display position.
Taylors return to secure the old wooden access ladder in a new position in the bell tower which will allow it to be retained for display without impinging on the area needed by future bell ringers.
Taylors also open up a new hatch in the ceiling of the bell ringing chamber through which the bells will be lowered later in the week.
Taylors return to secure the old wooden access
ladder in a new position in the bell tower which will allow it to be retained
for display without impinging on the area needed by future bell ringers.
Taylors also open up a new hatch in the ceiling of the bell ringing chamber through which the bells will be lowered later in the week.
Taylors send 1 bell hanger (Kit), working with 4 volunteers (Chris Pratska, Len Kirby, David Foster from Flore, and Barry Prior), to begin removal work on the bells.
Removing bearing caps from the bells.
All four clappers successfully removed.
One of the volunteers removing a wheel from the bell.
One of the new lifting gear beams in place.
The Lifting gear being attatched to the first bell in preparation for lowering it.
The first bell descending through the belfry floor on its journey to the ground.
And through the new hatch in the intermediate floor, down to ground level!
The Second bell on its way down!
The end of day one - the first two bells safely at ground level!
Kit and the volunteers return to complete the removal of the two remaining bells.
The belfry at the start of the day - one small bell to remove (behind the ladder), and then the largest bell (off the bottom of the picture).
After removal of the final small bell, one of the bell frames is cut free and moved aside to allow the large bell down through the hatch (Red shows the original position of the frame before it was moved about 20cm to the left)
The last, and largest, bell on its way down.
Finally all four bells are at the base of the tower - ready for collection the next day.
With the bells all down, there's just time for a few photos of some of the meterials that were re-used in the building of the tower, and the what looks like an earlier opening above the bell louvre which has been subsequently filled in:
The bells are moved from the church and loaded onto the Taylors lorry for transport to the foundry.
Kit returns and, with the original volunteers plus four extra helpers (Paul Taylor, Peter Ellwood, David Brodie, and Joe Brodie), loads each bell onto the bell trolley which is then man-handled up the church path to the waiting lorry - with the encouragement of interested onlookers from the village.
The 'Bell Crew' - still able to smile at the end of the day!
The bells reach the foundry.
The Casting of the New Bell..
The mould for the new bell - waiting for the molten bronze!
The transfer
bucket being filled with molten bronze from the furnace.
The transfer
bucket in position - ready to pour.
The molten
bronze being poured into the mould.
Pouring complete - one final stir to release any trapped air!
And time to relax
while the new bell cools.
The Original Bells after cleaning.
The new Bell is freed from its Mould.
The new
bell, ready to be fettled, cleaned, and tuned.
See the video of the unloading and man-handling of one of the bells into the church!
The renovations to the church tower are now complete, and it's time to restore the bells to the belfry.
Todays delivery includes the original bells which have been restored, a brand new bell which has been specially cast, a refurbished bell acquired to supplement the peal, and the metalwork and girders which will be needed to re-hang the bells. Because there are now two extra bells, there will need to be some re-arrangement in the belfry to accommodate the new bell. The diagram below shows the planned new arrangement of the bells:
The old 1590 could not be satisfactorily re-tuned, and so is being separately re-hung below the peel of bells to act as a separate chiming bell.
The day starts with the arrival of the bells and the Taylors expert who will lead the team of volunteers who will help with the re-installation.
The first view of the new bell:
The 1590 bell which is to be retired to the role of a chiming bell:
And of course, the smallest bell of the new peal, cast in 1891:
The volunteers ready to start the unloading:
