Tidebrook, Place School
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
Quarter 1 |
1-0-23 cwt |
18.00" |
1872 Hz |
A# |
1920 |
Hung Dead |
||
Quarter 2 |
1-2-14 cwt |
20.00" |
1680 Hz |
G# |
1920 |
Hung Dead |
||
Quarter 3 |
2-0-12 cwt |
22.00" |
1496 Hz |
F# |
1920 |
Hung Dead |
||
Quarter 4 |
4-2-19 cwt |
29.00" |
1120 Hz |
C# |
1920 |
Hung Dead |
||
Hour |
13-3-16 cwt |
42.13" |
748 Hz |
F# |
1920 |
Hung Dead |
About the Bells
5 Clock Bells, 13-3-16 in F#
Tidebrook Place School had a chime of 5 bells, hung in a small brick tower, with a wooden belfry.
As the tower and bells are no longer here, we will rely on external sources for this page.
At the end of WWI, Mr Duncan Alves bought Tidebrook Place, opposite side of the hill from Tidebrook Manor, owned by John E. Budd.
Both men were in competition for land and popularity.
Duncan enlarged his house, modernising it in the process. In 1920 he had a striking clock installed that chimed on the quarters and hours.
This did not sit well with Mr Budd, for he sent a strong note to Alves.
"Would Mr Alves please stop his clock from making its internal din."
Primarily because it was frightening his cattle, and he wasn't winning awards for them since the installation.
Some years later, Mr Alves moved to Wales, and Mr Budd passed away, leaving the successive owners of Tidebrook Place to look after the clock.
Following the Second World war, Tidebrook Place became a girls boarding school.
The clock gained a malfunction sometime later as the clock fly fans for the chime and strike trains were swapped, probably during a restoration.
This results in the chimes running slowly and the strike tolling the hour very quickly!
The school was contacted to have this fixed, but the school replied back, telling them to mind their own business.
The caretaker attempted to restore the chimes but was unsuccessful.
On August 22nd, 1963, a fire broke out, resulting in the top half of the tower collapsing, and the place gutted. Fortunately, the caretaker was home and reported the fire early.
Five fire engines helped tackle the fire.
The clock faces fell one by one, and the bells crashed to the floor in a pile of debris!
They were chipped and possibly cracked, and the clock saw no sign of it ever being repaired. 100
Tidebrook Place School had a chime of 5 bells, hung in a small brick tower, with a wooden belfry.
As the tower and bells are no longer here, we will rely on external sources for this page.
At the end of WWI, Mr Duncan Alves bought Tidebrook Place, opposite side of the hill from Tidebrook Manor, owned by John E. Budd.
Both men were in competition for land and popularity.
Duncan enlarged his house, modernising it in the process. In 1920 he had a striking clock installed that chimed on the quarters and hours.
This did not sit well with Mr Budd, for he sent a strong note to Alves.
"Would Mr Alves please stop his clock from making its internal din."
Primarily because it was frightening his cattle, and he wasn't winning awards for them since the installation.
Some years later, Mr Alves moved to Wales, and Mr Budd passed away, leaving the successive owners of Tidebrook Place to look after the clock.
Following the Second World war, Tidebrook Place became a girls boarding school.
The clock gained a malfunction sometime later as the clock fly fans for the chime and strike trains were swapped, probably during a restoration.
This results in the chimes running slowly and the strike tolling the hour very quickly!
The school was contacted to have this fixed, but the school replied back, telling them to mind their own business.
The caretaker attempted to restore the chimes but was unsuccessful.
On August 22nd, 1963, a fire broke out, resulting in the top half of the tower collapsing, and the place gutted. Fortunately, the caretaker was home and reported the fire early.
Five fire engines helped tackle the fire.
The clock faces fell one by one, and the bells crashed to the floor in a pile of debris!
They were chipped and possibly cracked, and the clock saw no sign of it ever being repaired. 100
The Burnt Clock Tower
Now, let's turn our attention to the bells.
The bells were supplied by Gillett & Johnston in April 1920, and together they form a delightful chime of bells. The notes are:
A#, G#, F#, C#.
The hour bell is also in F#, but an octave lower than the third.
These notes enable them to ring out the Westminster chime sequence.
It also has a major third, which would have created the well known "Gillett DANG" effect.
Another example of this can be found at Worth Abbey.
The weights, measurement, and frequencies that we're very fortunate to have are found in the Gillett & Johnston Tuning book No* 3 on pages 4 and 5.
The sound recordings below are the treble, 4th, and tenor at Fairwarp, modified so that the partials match those of Tidebrook, creating a fairly accurate representation of what they sounded like.
Tuning resulted in 0-3-20cwt of bell metal taken off the hour bell.
Being 1920, they would have been cast flat without canons, and likely bolted to a metal frame, made of girders.
Unfortunately no inscriptions were recorded, but they most likely read:
CAST BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON, CROYDON 1920.
It is highly likely that Fig. CFJ,1 was immediately below the lower inscription band moulding wires, and Fig. CFJ,4 may have being stamped on too.
Below are the bells chiming the Westminster sequence.
The bells were supplied by Gillett & Johnston in April 1920, and together they form a delightful chime of bells. The notes are:
A#, G#, F#, C#.
The hour bell is also in F#, but an octave lower than the third.
These notes enable them to ring out the Westminster chime sequence.
It also has a major third, which would have created the well known "Gillett DANG" effect.
Another example of this can be found at Worth Abbey.
The weights, measurement, and frequencies that we're very fortunate to have are found in the Gillett & Johnston Tuning book No* 3 on pages 4 and 5.
The sound recordings below are the treble, 4th, and tenor at Fairwarp, modified so that the partials match those of Tidebrook, creating a fairly accurate representation of what they sounded like.
Tuning resulted in 0-3-20cwt of bell metal taken off the hour bell.
Being 1920, they would have been cast flat without canons, and likely bolted to a metal frame, made of girders.
Unfortunately no inscriptions were recorded, but they most likely read:
CAST BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON, CROYDON 1920.
It is highly likely that Fig. CFJ,1 was immediately below the lower inscription band moulding wires, and Fig. CFJ,4 may have being stamped on too.
Below are the bells chiming the Westminster sequence.
| tidebrookchimes.wav |
Memories of The Tidebrook Chimes
Recordings of the bells:
How the bells are tuned in relation to their nominal, using Simpson's theory.
Key [measured in cents]:
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
-99 ~ -90 -89 ~ -80 -79 ~ -70 -69 ~ -60 -59 ~ -50 -49 ~ -40 -39 ~ -30 -29 ~ -20 -19 ~ -10 -9 ~ -0
0 ~ 9 10 ~ 19 20 ~ 29 30 ~ 39 40 ~ 49 50 ~ 59 60 ~ 69 70 ~ 79 80 ~ 89 90 ~ 99+
Quarter 1
Hum - 468Hz - Bb+7
Prime - 936Hz - Bb+7
Tierce - 1126Hz - Db+27 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1392Hz - F-4
Nominal - 1872Hz - Bb+7
Prime - 936Hz - Bb+7
Tierce - 1126Hz - Db+27 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1392Hz - F-4
Nominal - 1872Hz - Bb+7
| tidebrookone.wav |
Quarter 2
Hum - 420Hz - Ab+19
Prime - 840Hz - Ab+19
Tierce - 1016Hz - B+49 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1240Hz - Eb-5
Nominal - 1680Hz - Ab+19
Prime - 840Hz - Ab+19
Tierce - 1016Hz - B+49 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1240Hz - Eb-5
Nominal - 1680Hz - Ab+19
| tidebrooktwo.wav |
Quarter 3
Hum - 374Hz - F#+19
Prime - 748Hz - F#+19
Tierce - 910Hz - Bb-41 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1112Hz - Db+5
Nominal - 1496Hz - F#+19
Prime - 748Hz - F#+19
Tierce - 910Hz - Bb-41 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1112Hz - Db+5
Nominal - 1496Hz - F#+19
| tidebrookthree.mp3 |
Quarter 4
Hum - 280Hz - Db+18
Prime - 560Hz - Db+18
Tierce - 684Hz - F-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 838Hz - Ab+15
Nominal - 1120Hz - Db+17
Prime - 560Hz - Db+18
Tierce - 684Hz - F-35 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 838Hz - Ab+15
Nominal - 1120Hz - Db+17
| tidebrookfour.wav |
Hour
Hum - 187Hz - F#+19
Prime - 374Hz - F#+19
Tierce - 459Hz - Bb-24 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 560Hz - Db+18
Nominal - 748Hz - F#+19
Prime - 374Hz - F#+19
Tierce - 459Hz - Bb-24 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 560Hz - Db+18
Nominal - 748Hz - F#+19
| tidebrookfive.mp3 |
Photographs:
Sources:
100 - Ringing World Vol* LIX Fri Oct 25th 196
Gillett & Johnston Tuning book No* 3
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1719040138357385&set=pcb.1039974312789490
100 - Ringing World Vol* LIX Fri Oct 25th 196
Gillett & Johnston Tuning book No* 3
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1719040138357385&set=pcb.1039974312789490
