The Church of the Ascension, Bitterne Park, Southampton, is to have a full ring of bells in the near future.
Six of the bells will come from St. Maurice's Church, Winchester. This gift of six bells was made available to Bitterne Park if a donation of £300 was given to the people of St. Maurice's towards the restoration of their other church, St. Laurence's.
The ring at St. Maurice's is of interest. Two bells are late 14th century from the Wokingham foundry; the tenor was cast in 1610 by an unknown bell-founder; the fourth by John Wallis, of Salisbury, in 1603. The second, dated 1639, was by an unknown bell-founder, and was recast by Gillett and Johnston, makers of the treble.
Metal for the two new bells comes from two old bells Bitterne has obtained - one from St. Laurence's Church in High Street, Southampton, and the other from Holy Trinity Church. These bells are to be recast by Messrs. Mears and Stainbank.
A bell frame, proper belfry floor and the overhaul of the old bells are necessary. The total cost of the work is over £1,600. Part of this is being met by a legacy, but the sum of 1,000 guineas remains to be raised and an appeal for this was launched on Advent Sunday.
The Ringing World No. 2385, December 14, 1956, page 796