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It was always accepted that the Millenium restoration was done on a limited budget and the work minimal compared with a proper full renovation. So ever since then the bell ringers have been raising money from subscriptions and various events with the intent of having a full restoration some day.
In 2018 it was decided to investigate what needed to be done and to get quotes for the work, and in 2019 complete surveys of the bells, the frame and the tower were done and quotes came in.
Below are some pictures of what the bells and their fittings looked like at the end of 2021.
Apart from strengthening the old wooden frame (listed so could not be replaced), most of the metal fittings on the bells were corroded, the elm headstocks were cracked and worm holed, and odd bits of metal had been used to pack out some of the fittings. The wheels, which were second hand at the Millenium restoration were not the right sizes for the bells they were fitted to, but most importantly, all the bells were 'odd struck' meaning that the clapper hit the bell early when the bell swung one way and late when it swung the other way. The structural survey also revealed that the whole frame was moving about as the bells were rung, and thus needed to be securely fixed to the walls of the tower with a rigid structure - steel.
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Under No 4 Bell
Note the wear on edge of the bell and on the clapper
Also note the crude pivot at the top of the clapper
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No 4 Bell
Made in 1686
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Metal Strap fixing the Crown to the Headstock (No4 Bell)
Note Rusted, rounded off bolts and packing spacer
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No5 Bell (Tenor)
Made in 1841, weighs as much as 7kegs of beer!
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No 5 Bell
Showing clapper, wheel, headstock, rope and slider
Clock clapper arrangement on left
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Crude bearings
5th Bell to the left, 4th to the right
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No5 Headstock
Note the split in the wood and the worm holes
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Part of the Frame the Bells are Mounted on
Believed to have been made in mid 1600s from recycled timber!
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Strap on the top of No4
Rust, burred of bolts, crude packing, stripped threads
Wheels of No1 and No2 at the back of picture, Wheels of No4 and No3 to the right
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No3 Bell
Showing clapper, slider and edge of wheel
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