BELL HANGING IN ANCIENT TOWERS.

CENTRAL COUNCIL AND SOCIETY FOR PROTECTION OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS.

  1. Bell cages can be made to satisfy the various requirements of bell ringers, archæologists and architects, having particular regard to the protection of ancient towers.

  2. The design and workmanship of a cage are of more importance than the material of which it is made.

  3. When the renewal of an old bell cage or the recasting of an old bell is under consideration, the benefit of any doubt should remain with the retention of what exists.

In these words the Conference between the representatives of the Central Council and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings summarise their agreed findings on the subject of bell hanging in ancient towers, a subject upon which there has been considerable disagreement between the two bodies in the past.

The report containing the conclusions or the conference has just been printed, and it opens with the general statement that ‘during the past quarter of a century or so very many different statements with regard to the right way in which bells should be hung in old towers have been made, and a considerable difference of opinion appeared to exist between the recommendations made by the society and the Central Council. Added to this difficulty the bell hanging firms were still, to a great extent, experimenting with metal cages, and recommending new and untried methods of construction.’

The Conference between the two bodies resulted ‘in complete agreement,’ and the principles agreed upon are put forward as a guide to be used by those who have the care of rings of bells in old towers, i.e., towers built before the end of the 16th century or thereabouts. The first recommendation is that with regard to any question concerning their church bells or work in their towers. Parish authorities are strongly urged to consult the Advisory Committee set up in their own diocese or the Central Committee for the Protection of Churches and their Treasures with whom the parties to the conference would be prepared and willing to advise on technical points.

The recommendations go on to deal with the technicalities of bell hanging, urging the importance of the careful distribution of the strains and stresses, the protection of belfries from birds and weather, the proper ventilation and care of the ringing chamber the care of the bells and their fittings.

The report advocates that in no circumstances should a pre-Reformation bell be recast or its canons removed, and that when such bells cannot be retained in the ring, they should be used as single bells or preserved as a valuable and interesting work of the past, also that bells of special interest of post-Reformation date, such as those cast by such famous founders as Miles Gray or Abraham Rudhall should not be recast without reference to the authorities referred to above.

‘Clocking’ of bells is strongly deprecated, and attention is directed to the necessity to quarter-turn a bell when it wears thin and also to the importance of the form and condition of the clapper. The report adds this significant paragraph, ‘With regard to bearings it is doubtful if any advantage is gained by the use of ball bearings.’

To the report, which is signed by Mr. A. R. Powys, secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, and Mr. E. Alexander Young, secretary of the Central Council, is appended a schedule setting out the merits and demerits of various materials for the construction of frames; viz., oak, chestnut, teak and metal. The only demerits urged against the metal frame are that it needs regular painting to prevent corrosion, and has not got the shock-absorbing qualities of timber; but, it is added, in a properly constructed frame in proper condition shock does not arise.

The Ringing World, January 19th, 1923, page 41

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