REDUNDANT CHURCHES IN DIOCESES
A list of redundant churches in dioceses has been received and this shows that we have 27 such churches in the Winchester Diocese and 3 in the Portsmouth Diocese. Guild Officers are investigating the position regarding all redundant bells.
ST.LEONARD, SHERFIELD ENGLISH
A broken gudgeon on the tenor necessitated the removal of the headstock and resulted in a cost of £502. The Guild was able to make its first grant of over 10% to this tower by allocating £70 from the BRF.
ST.MARY’S, CARISBROOKE
Work is in hand to replace all bearings and rebush all clappers.
ST.MARY’S, SYDMONTON
The PCC have been advised against their scheme for replacing the 3 at Ecchinswell with 4 of the Sydmonton bells.
Unfortunately we learned that the Sydmonton 6 should have been removed during 1981/2 when the building was under the control of the Redundant Churches Uses Committee, but now the church has been sold. However, negotiations with the new owner’s solicitor for repossession of the bells by the Guild were successful and the bells have been recovered, albeit not intact.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD, FOUR MARKS
The single bell from the redundant church of St. Mary, Winslade has been transferred to Four Marks. Also the bell from the redundant church of St.Luke’s, Southampton has been offered. A local engineer aims to obtain 4 bells and to hang them himself.
ALL SAINTS, DEANE
Early in 1982 Miss C.Joyce encouraged the new band at Deane to consider fund raising to augment the 6 bells using the 8 bell frame already in the tower. The fund was launched on May Day and by November all the money had been raised or donated. The 9 cwt bell from St.Peter’s Southampton is to be used in the augmentation and Mr.M.K.Waldron will install and hang the new bells.
ST.PETER’S, GOODWORTH CLATFORD
Negotiations are in hand for the possible augmentation of the 6 to 8 - another possible home for the St. Luke’s bell.
HOLY TRINITY, GOSPORT
The PCC is in contact with the Guild Gen. Sec. and the Central Council Rescue Fund authorities regarding purchase of the octave. Efforts are being made to keep the ring in the Guild if possible.
ST.PIERRE DU BOIS, GUERNSEY
Authorities at this church wish to install a ring of 10. They currently have 3 large, historic bells. Team training has already been taking place at St. Michael du Vale. This is a possible venue for the Gosport octave.
ST.EDMOND, WOTTON, ISLE OF WIGHT
A very enthusiastic incumbent is negotiating for the Gosport bells, already has an architect working on the tower design and has the congregation fund raising. The project is to mark the 900th anniversary of the parish in 1987.
SACRED HEART, BOURNEMOUTH
Authorities at this Roman Catholic church are interested in the installation of 6 bells and some members of the congregation are already learning to ring at Christchurch. Bell Foundry quotations have been obtained and fund raising has commenced. The authorities wish to be involved with both our Guild and the Salisbury Guild, since the R.C. Diocese of Portsmouth does extend all the way to Poole in Dorset. Clearly our Guild would be pleased to receive new members and to assist a new band in every way. The possibility of a grant from the BRF would be one way of expressing our encouragement. However, we have been able to offer more material assistance in the form of three old clock bells. These were discovered in a Portsmouth Naval Base Store by the Naval Chaplain and were offered to the Guild by the dockyard authorities. Now, after safe transit storage in Martin Waldron’s rhubarb patch, the bells have been gratefully accepted by the Sacred Heart in lieu of a grant from the BRF.
ST.MARGARET’S, EAST WELLOW
As a result of restoration work planned for this church Mr.Waldron made an inspection of the three bells which are hung for ringing full-circle. He has presented a written report to the authorities and recommended that Whitechapel bell foundry be asked to make these bells safe.
ST.MARY’S, SOUTHAMPTON
A collapsed bearing on No.5 bell was replaced by Eayre & Smith, this firm reporting that professional attention was now needed after 30 years and that the grease on all other bearings is urgently in need of replacement. (Have your tower’s ball bearings been inspected within the last few years?). In early autumn the frame member next to the collapsed bearing fractured. Advice on various forms of repair was provided by Mr. S.Fenwick of Eling tower, who then provided materials and a day of his time to effect the repair. He has also prepared a lengthy report concerning the frame and fittings for the St. Mary’s authorities. This is a splendid example of the friendship and goodwill to be found amongst Guild members.
I.O.W. TOWERS
Close to the end of the year a professional inspection was carried out on the well-worn fittings of St.George, Arreton, All Saints, Newchurch and St.Thomas, Newport. Considerable, expensive work is required to put all these bells into order.