JM2
Purley
has a ring of six bells For most of the
20th century they were used only sparingly and tolled individually,
mainly for funerals but occasionally for other services. For the Millennium the
bells were restored and rehung and are now regularly rung by a small band of
dedicated bell ringers. To get to them you must climb two steep ladders to the
bell chamber which is nearly thirteen foot square with louvres to let out the
sound instead of windows.
The
bells are arranged in two rows running North-South. The westerly row contains
2nd, 3rd 4th and 5th bells with their wheels oriented east-west, the easterly
row has two bells, the tenor and the treble, with their wheels oriented
north-south.
Originally
the ring had been of five bells only, second to tenor, all cast by Elles and
Francis Knight in the early 17th century. The oak bell frame was made at the
same time but used some second hand timbers believed salvaged from an earlier
frame. It consists of heads, cills, king posts and two sets of braces, one of
which is morticed to the king post and cills, the other to the heads and cills.
In
1787 the fourth had become cracked and was recast. At the same time a new
treble was made to bring the ring up to six bells. To do this an extra pit had
to be made in the bell frame. The only space left was directly above the trap
door making entry to the bell chamber very difficult. The new frame was poorly
designed without a proper side section.
Details
|
|
Weight |
Diameter |
Circumference |
Wheel orientation |
|
|
Cwt-qr-lb |
cm |
cm |
|
|
Treble |
|
68 |
120 |
N-S /W |
|
Second |
|
70 |
126 |
E-W /S |
|
Third |
5-0-0 |
73 |
135 |
E-W /S |
|
Fourth |
|
77 |
138 |
E-W /S |
|
Fifth |
|
86 |
149 |
E-W /N |
|
Tenor |
|
92 |
165 |
N-S /W |
Circumference measured
at shoulder, diameter at mouth of bell
The treble bell is
inscribed ‘THE GIFT OF IOHN GEORGE LIBENROOD of the Parish of PURLEY ESQr.
IOHN SHERWOOD: Church Warden : * Thos Janaway fecit: C C ANNO DOMINI 1788 C’.
It is a maiden bell cast by Thomas Janaway of
The second bell is
inscribed ‘PRAYES YE THE LORD X635’ It is a maiden bell cast by Ellis
Knight of
The third bell is
inscribed ‘PRAYES YE THE LORD X629’ It was cast by Ellis Knight of
The fourth bell is
inscribed ‘PRAYES YE THE LORD X627’ It is a square shouldered bell cast
by Ellis Knight of
The fifth bell is
inscribed ‘THIS BELL WAS RECAST ANNO DOMINI 1787 JOHN SHERWOOD Churchwarden
:::: Thomas Janaway fecit *' It was recast by Thomas Janaway of
The tenor is inscribed ‘LORD
GRANDESONN X629 O-S’ It is a square shouldered bell cast by Ellis Knight of
Ellis and Frances Knight
were two brothers from a family of bell founders who worked in
The bells were regarded as
unsafe to ring in the early 1900s when the then rector refused to allow them
rung for the wedding of Mrs Fullerton’s daughter. They had apparently been restored
by around 1920 as Purley had become members of the Diocesan Guild of Church
Bell Ringers and several certificates of membership survive from the 1920s. The
last time anyone remembers them being rung for services is just
before the Second World War, but even then they were prone to come loose from
their mountings. It was of course forbidden to ring them for most of the war
period.
In 1965 there was a
proposal by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry to build a new bell frame and re-tune
the bells which were said to be very much out of tune. The bells were inspected
by William Hughes representing the foundry in July 1965. He found them sound
but not of good tonal quality or well in tune. They were indented where the
clappers had struck and he recommended new ones should be fitted. The 18th
century fittings were in a decayed and derelict condition. The early 17th
century bell frame was poorly made and badly infested. An estimate was made of
£1487 to put things to rights but the PCC took no action.
The report and proposal
signed by a Mr Sharpe was hotly contested by Geoffrey Dodd of the
Next year, 1966, a
suggestion was made by J A Unwin to install electronic bells with a loud
speaker and a tape recorder. An alternative scheme was for the bells to have
electronically operated clappers, to turn the ring into what would amount to a
carillon. Neither idea was taken up.
The tower and bells were
inspected again in 1978 by Stanley Scott for the Oxford Diocesan Guild of
Church Bell Ringers. He noted that the oak bell frame probably dates from the
17th century and had been cut away severely in several places to allow bell
clearance. Only the fifth bell was ringable and that only partially. Also there
was evidence of woodworm and beetle infestation. The amount of work that would
need to be done to restore the bells to full working order was so great that it
was not felt practical to go ahead, especially as money was urgently needed for
the new extension.
The matter was
reconsidered in 1986 but essentially the same conclusion was reached although
it was also pointed out that removal of the bells was by now virtually
impossible since the font had been relocated on the ground floor of the tower
and the clock mechanism also provided an effective barrier. Thus the suggestion
to remove and sell the bells was not a practical proposition.
When it came to see what
the church would do to celebrate the millennium the idea of restoring the bells
to working order was reconsidered. The old doubts and the reasons had not gone
away but this time there a determination not to be put off by minor
difficulties. Consultants were brought in who came up with a scheme to rehang
the bells in the space occupied by the clock mechanism and move the font a few
feet eastwards into the nave.
The bells were taken away
to the foundry at Whitechapel and refurbished and a new bell frame of steel
constructed in the middle chamber. A team of bell ringers was recruited who
were able to practice at Pangbourne under the leadership of bell captain Simon
Robertson. Once the work was completed it was possible to try out the new bells
and everyone was very pleased with the tone and quality of the sound. In order
not to discomfort the neighbours too much the vents in the towers were partly
restricted in order to confine the sound.
All was ready to ring in
the New Year at both
The new bells have proved
an irresistible magnet for bell ringers all over the country who have been
queuing up to have a go at ringing at Purley which none had been able to check
off on their ringing lists before.
JM2