Bognor, Former Church of St john the Baptist
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Turning |
1 |
5-2-16 cwt |
28.00" |
1548 Hz |
G |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
2 |
5-3-7 cwt |
29.00" |
1450.5 Hz |
F# |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
3 |
6-2-23 cwt |
32.00" |
1302.5 Hz |
E |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
4 |
6-3-21 cwt |
31.00" |
1175.5 Hz |
D |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
5 |
7-2-7 cwt |
33.50" |
1042 Hz |
C |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
6 |
8-1-0 cwt |
35.50" |
983 Hz |
B |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
7 |
10-0-14 cwt |
38.00" |
878 Hz |
A |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
8 |
11-3-14 cwt |
41.00" |
779 Hz |
G |
1952 |
Hung Dead |
||
Service |
6-0-0 cwt |
38.25" |
1401.5 Hz |
F |
1952 |
Full Circle |
About the Bells
8 Bells, 11-3-14 in G
Highbrook, All Saints church sits on a hill and overlooks West Sussex. The church of Horsted Keynes, an unringable 3, can be seen in the distance.
Highbrook houses a chime of 8 bells plus an extra service bell. When included with the rest of the chime, they are a diatonic 8 with a flat 2nd.
The tower is on the North side of the church and access to the ringing room and belfry is from a wooden door outside.
Once through the door, an anti-clockwise stone spiral staircase leads up firstly to a room for the organ, then up further to the ringing room. There is only 1 rope hole. This is for the Full circle service bell and the rest of the bells are rung using an Ellacombe apparatus in the South east side of the tower. The Ellacombe Apparatus, probably made by Gillett & Co features red/pink rope which are protected with black rubber tubing for ringing.
Inside the ringing room is also a chiming barrel. The chiming barrel has around 2 dozen levers which are connected to the bells. The apparatus has two barrels to play different tunes: a winter and a spring one. It was made in 1887 by Gillett & Co and sit in the North side of the tower.
On the southern side of the tower is a Westminster chiming clock. It used to be wound up mechanically however it is now automatically wound by electric. The clock, like the barrel and the bells was also made in 1887 by Gillett & Co. GILLETT & CO can be seen engraved on the small dial inside. There appear to be mercury weights for the clock too.
The bells at Highbrook ,until late 2020 early 2021, were chimed by Oliver. E. P. Watson (ringer from Lindfield) and were looked after by him from 2017 - 2020.
Ringing here is now temporarily suspended.
Further up the tower from the ringing room is the belfry, you have to climb round the 6th which is infront of you when you go into the room.
All the bells are hung on 2 levels, the bells are hung dead on a Z trussed frame and the service bells is rung in it's own frame slot too. The clapper inside the full circle bell is an old fashioned style one. The other hung dead bells are rung with Ellacombe hammers which are rusted.
The tenor of the chime has a large crack in the shoulder of the bell.
Whilst being cast, the bell had a flaw in the mould and there is a large fin of metal inside which penetrated the core.
The connector rod for the clock comes up through the floor and across to the middle and then across to the West wall of the tower outside. The wall separating the inside from the outside is very thick.
The tower was made in 1884 by Carpenter and Ingelow.
Photo and video credits to Oliver E P Watson.
Highbrook, All Saints church sits on a hill and overlooks West Sussex. The church of Horsted Keynes, an unringable 3, can be seen in the distance.
Highbrook houses a chime of 8 bells plus an extra service bell. When included with the rest of the chime, they are a diatonic 8 with a flat 2nd.
The tower is on the North side of the church and access to the ringing room and belfry is from a wooden door outside.
Once through the door, an anti-clockwise stone spiral staircase leads up firstly to a room for the organ, then up further to the ringing room. There is only 1 rope hole. This is for the Full circle service bell and the rest of the bells are rung using an Ellacombe apparatus in the South east side of the tower. The Ellacombe Apparatus, probably made by Gillett & Co features red/pink rope which are protected with black rubber tubing for ringing.
Inside the ringing room is also a chiming barrel. The chiming barrel has around 2 dozen levers which are connected to the bells. The apparatus has two barrels to play different tunes: a winter and a spring one. It was made in 1887 by Gillett & Co and sit in the North side of the tower.
On the southern side of the tower is a Westminster chiming clock. It used to be wound up mechanically however it is now automatically wound by electric. The clock, like the barrel and the bells was also made in 1887 by Gillett & Co. GILLETT & CO can be seen engraved on the small dial inside. There appear to be mercury weights for the clock too.
The bells at Highbrook ,until late 2020 early 2021, were chimed by Oliver. E. P. Watson (ringer from Lindfield) and were looked after by him from 2017 - 2020.
Ringing here is now temporarily suspended.
Further up the tower from the ringing room is the belfry, you have to climb round the 6th which is infront of you when you go into the room.
All the bells are hung on 2 levels, the bells are hung dead on a Z trussed frame and the service bells is rung in it's own frame slot too. The clapper inside the full circle bell is an old fashioned style one. The other hung dead bells are rung with Ellacombe hammers which are rusted.
The tenor of the chime has a large crack in the shoulder of the bell.
Whilst being cast, the bell had a flaw in the mould and there is a large fin of metal inside which penetrated the core.
The connector rod for the clock comes up through the floor and across to the middle and then across to the West wall of the tower outside. The wall separating the inside from the outside is very thick.
The tower was made in 1884 by Carpenter and Ingelow.
Photo and video credits to Oliver E P Watson.
Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is inscriptions within the inscription band*
1 |
PRAISE GOD IN THE HIGHEST 1952 |
2 |
GILLETT & JOHNSTON O LET THE EARTH BLESS THE LORD 19 ⛉ 52 GILLETT & JOHNSTON CROYDON |
3 |
TO THE GLORY OF GOD IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF THE PROCHIAL MISSION OF A . D 1884 T.C.L RECAST 1952 BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON |
4 |
PRAISE HIM & MAGNIFY HIM FOR EVER 19 ⛉ 52 GILLETT & JOHNSTON CROYDON |
5 |
LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH PRAISE THE LORD 19 ⛉ 52 GILLETT & JOHNSTON |
6 |
GOOD PEOPLE ALL COME WHEN I CALL 19 ⛉ 52 GILLETT & JOHNSTON CROYDON |
7 |
O LET ISRAEL BLESS THE LORD THIS CHIME OF EIGHT BELLS COMPLETED IN MEMORY OF FLORENCE BETTY DAVIES WHO DIED WHEN 12 YEARS OLD 19 ⛉ 52 GILLETT & JOHNSTON CROYDON |
8 |
AND IN THE DEPTHS BE PRAISE AD GLORIAM DEI : ET IN MEMORIAM JOHANNES WREFORD A.B PRESBYTER PARENTES EUISDEM ME RENTES A.D 1884 T.C.L RECAST 1952 BY GILLETT & JOHNSTON V.K. LIMPETT M.A - VICAR A.D Mc RAE A.D ROBINSON CHURCHWARDENS |
Latin Translation:
Service: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO - Glory to God in the highest
Service: GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO - Glory to God in the highest
⚛ = Fig. GBC, 2 (Bells 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
*Click on images to enlarge them*
*Click on images to enlarge them*
