Brighton, Stanford Road SchoolStanford Road Junior School in Brighton has a single bell, hung high on the south wall. The School was opened in February 1894 although the bell was not hung until May 11th.
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The Bell
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
2-3-9 cwt |
24.00" |
F |
1894 |
Swing |
1 Bell, 2-3-9cwt in F
The school was supplied a bell by Gillett & Johnston in 1893. According to the G&J archives, it is tuned to note F, but this will be tricky to prove as the clapper has fallen out, and access will require very long ladders.
From the road side, an inscription can be made out on the waist, apparently reading
L / CHARL / SMD.
It's possible there could be something on the other side, and maybe it's serial number, 1437, on the crown?
It was cast in November 1893, and was inscribed using block roman capitals. See Horsham, Town Hall for the same font.
The bell was cast without canons, and bolted to a metal headstock. It's got the conventional moulding wire configuration of 2.2.2.3.2
The bell is swung by a rope on the inside and is hung in a similar fashion to Fairseat in Kent.
The headstock extends through the wall and the bell is rung by a lever from the inside.
It swings East to West in a cast iron frame.
The bell is not in a great condition as the clapper is missing. The crown staple could not be seen but it may be broken. Unfortunately this is one of the factors of the sea air.
The clapper could have broken earlier than initially thought as the bell has not been rung in living memory!
There is also a clock tower which does not contain a bell.
An incredibly long ladder would be required to reach the bell, although there doesn't appear to be an easy place to put the ladder.
Visited with Dylan Thomas 24/02/2023
The school was supplied a bell by Gillett & Johnston in 1893. According to the G&J archives, it is tuned to note F, but this will be tricky to prove as the clapper has fallen out, and access will require very long ladders.
From the road side, an inscription can be made out on the waist, apparently reading
L / CHARL / SMD.
It's possible there could be something on the other side, and maybe it's serial number, 1437, on the crown?
It was cast in November 1893, and was inscribed using block roman capitals. See Horsham, Town Hall for the same font.
The bell was cast without canons, and bolted to a metal headstock. It's got the conventional moulding wire configuration of 2.2.2.3.2
The bell is swung by a rope on the inside and is hung in a similar fashion to Fairseat in Kent.
The headstock extends through the wall and the bell is rung by a lever from the inside.
It swings East to West in a cast iron frame.
The bell is not in a great condition as the clapper is missing. The crown staple could not be seen but it may be broken. Unfortunately this is one of the factors of the sea air.
The clapper could have broken earlier than initially thought as the bell has not been rung in living memory!
There is also a clock tower which does not contain a bell.
An incredibly long ladder would be required to reach the bell, although there doesn't appear to be an easy place to put the ladder.
Visited with Dylan Thomas 24/02/2023
Inscriptions:
1 |
L CHARL SMD |
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
Sources:
- Gillett & Johnston tuning book "BELLS 1877" p.81
- https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/6a44d0d4-b953-4926-bf1c-770f9be4ffce
