St Marys bell tower

View from St Marys church tower

[Article & photos by John Pearson, the Walkern Journal, April 2007]

If, like me, you take pleasure in listening to the peal of our church bells I am sure you will have enjoyed reading last month’s informative article on the Bells of St Mary’s. It occurred to me that it might be a good idea if I could photograph the bells in the church tower. So one Saturday morning I was invited by Chris Carter and his son Matthew to go up the tower as they were going to carry out some routine maintenance.

The dedication of the bell ringers extends to more than practice on Friday and ringing for the Sunday service; the bells, ropes and fittings need a good deal of attention and servicing if they are to ring smoothly. This involves scaling the tower for regular inspections of the bells and bell frame which is housed on the second floor.

So it was that I ascended the first ladder some 30 feet to the first floor. On the first floor is the clock chamber with its grand looking clock mechanism, a three-train, weight-driven, turret clock manufactured by William Potts of Leeds, and installed in 1905. It used to need hand winding and weights re-setting every two to three days, but two years ago it was converted to an automatic winding system. The clock chimes the quarters and hours using the bells numbered 2 through 6.

Clock mechanism at St Marys Walkern installed 1905

After marvelling at the clock mechanism it was onwards and upwards another 16 feet to the second floor and the bell chamber. Quite a struggle at the top to get in to the bell chamber as the six bells, their rope wheels and the frame that supports them occupy a considerable amount of room. Chris and Matthew have become quite adept at snaking their way both up and over the bells and their guidance was a must to manoeuvre around the bells. Routine work involves more than I imagined. As a complete novice I had imagined that the principle of hand bell ringing applied but with the addition of a few ropes and pulleys. In fact the mechanisms are much more complex and things such as Hastings-stays, Ellacombe chime hammers and plain bearings add to the mystery of the mechanisms. Lubrication of the plain bearings, found on five of the six bells, is needed to assure smooth operation and this is a regular task for Chris and Matthew. The plain bearings reflect the bells’ age as they lack any ball-bearings and, as I understand it, the bell axle is simply  inserted into an enclosable cast-iron recess. Also in keeping with tradition is the use of castor oil as the lubricant. With all the movement and vibration that such large bells generate, the nuts and bolts need regular attention and occasional replacement.

Checking the 1696 bell, recast in 1909

The last major overhaul of the bells was in 1909 when they were taken down, tuned, restored and re-hung as well as having a new bell hanging frame installed. The oldest bell, cast in 1696, was re-cast at this date. (The photo on the front page shows Matthew checking this bell.) They are now due another less major service by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and it was reassuring to see in their report on the condition of the “bells, fittings, frame and tower”  at St Mary that “the tower appeared to be in good condition and we sensed virtually no movement when either the tenor or 4th bells were rung singly”.

On the tower walls there is also a remarkable amount of graffiti, some dating back to the 17th century. They are mostly names and dates carved into the stone, some very clear and professional, presumably carved by skilled stonemasons; some by the bell repairers and tuners that have visited over the years and others by the bell ringers; names include WD 1664; WA 1769 , G Pettit 1841, W Bray Oct 16 1843, Smedley 1808, S Savage 1931, J Cordell 1952 (see complete list below). All this adds to the feeling of age and history of the church tower and what a privilege it was to be shown around by Chris and Matthew.

John Pearson

Bell tower graffiti

WA 1769

WD [or WP] 1664
WA 1769
WB 1791 ?
J Smedley 1808
EN 1809
G PETTIT 1841
W Bray October 16 1843
W AYLOTT
WT BLORE 1882
E ? Newbery April 1885?
DG  July 24? 1915?
S Savage 1931
F Miles 1937
J CORDELL JAN 1st 1951
A HICKMAN 1952
? EDWARDS 1971
J MUNCEY 1971
M SPEIRS – 1974
DAVE BALL 1986?