Burgess Hill, St John the Evangelist
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Turning |
1 |
4-2-0 cwt |
25.75" |
1519 Hz |
Gb |
John Taylor & Co |
1897 |
Full Circle |
|
2 |
4-1-1 cwt |
26.50" |
1429 Hz |
F |
John Taylor & Co |
1904 |
Full Circle |
|
3 |
4-3-3 cwt |
28.13" |
1270 Hz |
Eb |
John Taylor & Co |
1904 |
Full Circle |
|
4 |
5-2-5 cwt |
30.25" |
1137 Hz |
Db |
John Taylor & Co |
1897 |
Full Circle |
|
5 |
6-3-24 cwt |
32.50" |
1009 Hz |
Cb |
John Taylor & Co |
1900 |
Full Circle |
|
6 |
7-2-21 cwt |
34.63" |
948 Hz |
Bb |
John Taylor & Co |
1897 |
Full Circle |
|
7 |
10-1-16 cwt |
38.00" |
852 Hz |
Ab |
John Taylor & Co |
1900 |
Full Circle |
|
8 |
14-2-26 cwt |
43.00" |
758.3 Hz |
Gb |
John Taylor & Co |
1897 |
Flat |
Full Circle |
About the Bells
8 Bells, 14-2-26 in Gb
Burgess Hill has 8 bells hung for full circle in a West facing red brick tower.
The Tower and church was build in 1861 by Thomas Talbot Bury. Bury helped with the details and construction on the Palace of Westminster. He also published a number of books with his watercolour paintings in along with his engravements.
When the church was built, a peal of bells was not intended. Instead, a single bell made of steel by Naylor Vickers was installed. The bell was number and was cast around the year. It was inscribed E RIPES PATENT CAST STEEL NAYLOR VICKERS & CO SHEFFIELD. It no doubt had the serial number on it too. There are very little steel bells around now due to the fact they don't sound overly too pleasing and also they rust too!
Later in 1897, three bells were ordered by the residents of Burgess Hill and placed in the tower to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee as shown by the inscription on the tenor. The tenor does not say that they were recast so they must have planned for a ring of 8 and added bells gradually.
Judging by the dates of the bells, bells 4,6,8 were installed first. Three years later, the 5 & 7 were cast in 1900. The front 3 were cast 4 years later so this leaves us with the question of were 5 & 7 hung in 1900 or in 1904 along with 1,2&3.
All 8 of the bells were cast by John Taylor & Co in Loughborough. The bells appear to be heavily inscribed with many ornaments. They also greatly used the star stop (Fig. LX,e) to split the words up.
They were all cast without canons suggesting that Taylors had a drill strong enough to get through the crown of the bell in 1897.
The stays on all except the 6th are hasting stays whereas the 6th has a pendulum and sprung steel stay. Having this type of stay means that the stay is less prone to snapping and cracking. Instead it will flex. They also feel quite different when you go to set the bell too!
The most interesting about the belfry is the frame. Bells 2,4,6,7,8 are hung in a 5.12 variation layout made of H.1 trusses leaving bells 1,3,5 hung above in a 3.2 variation layout made of Z.1 trusses. The frame is painted green which is odd for Taylors as their typical colour is red.
Access to bells 1,3,5 is by a small wooden vertical ladder in the South West corner of the tower.
Before the platform was added and a small metal ladder to get to the clock room, the vertical ladder carried up further to a very small trap door that even small people would find it a squeeze to get through!
The clock was made by HALLIWELL. The clock has very thick cast iron frames to support it. Dials are on all 4 sides of the tower.
The bells are rung by red sallied ropes and the treble provides as the sanctus bell rung from the ground floor.
The ringing room is accessed by a spiral staircase and the belfry by means of a ladder. A hatch my be opened first and then the ladder is connected to a hook on the wall to prevent it from falling.
Visited
.25/07/2022
Burgess Hill has 8 bells hung for full circle in a West facing red brick tower.
The Tower and church was build in 1861 by Thomas Talbot Bury. Bury helped with the details and construction on the Palace of Westminster. He also published a number of books with his watercolour paintings in along with his engravements.
When the church was built, a peal of bells was not intended. Instead, a single bell made of steel by Naylor Vickers was installed. The bell was number and was cast around the year. It was inscribed E RIPES PATENT CAST STEEL NAYLOR VICKERS & CO SHEFFIELD. It no doubt had the serial number on it too. There are very little steel bells around now due to the fact they don't sound overly too pleasing and also they rust too!
Later in 1897, three bells were ordered by the residents of Burgess Hill and placed in the tower to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee as shown by the inscription on the tenor. The tenor does not say that they were recast so they must have planned for a ring of 8 and added bells gradually.
Judging by the dates of the bells, bells 4,6,8 were installed first. Three years later, the 5 & 7 were cast in 1900. The front 3 were cast 4 years later so this leaves us with the question of were 5 & 7 hung in 1900 or in 1904 along with 1,2&3.
All 8 of the bells were cast by John Taylor & Co in Loughborough. The bells appear to be heavily inscribed with many ornaments. They also greatly used the star stop (Fig. LX,e) to split the words up.
They were all cast without canons suggesting that Taylors had a drill strong enough to get through the crown of the bell in 1897.
The stays on all except the 6th are hasting stays whereas the 6th has a pendulum and sprung steel stay. Having this type of stay means that the stay is less prone to snapping and cracking. Instead it will flex. They also feel quite different when you go to set the bell too!
The most interesting about the belfry is the frame. Bells 2,4,6,7,8 are hung in a 5.12 variation layout made of H.1 trusses leaving bells 1,3,5 hung above in a 3.2 variation layout made of Z.1 trusses. The frame is painted green which is odd for Taylors as their typical colour is red.
Access to bells 1,3,5 is by a small wooden vertical ladder in the South West corner of the tower.
Before the platform was added and a small metal ladder to get to the clock room, the vertical ladder carried up further to a very small trap door that even small people would find it a squeeze to get through!
The clock was made by HALLIWELL. The clock has very thick cast iron frames to support it. Dials are on all 4 sides of the tower.
The bells are rung by red sallied ropes and the treble provides as the sanctus bell rung from the ground floor.
The ringing room is accessed by a spiral staircase and the belfry by means of a ladder. A hatch my be opened first and then the ladder is connected to a hook on the wall to prevent it from falling.
Visited
.25/07/2022
Inscriptions:
1 |
* S. JOHN'S CHURCH * BURGESS HILL * ◛ THIS PEAL OF 8 BELLS WAS COMPLETED IN 1904 ARTHUR STEVENS * VICAR ALFRED FULLER HARDWICK * NATHAN GEORGE BECK * CHURCHWARDENS ◉ |
2 |
*JOHN TAYLOR & CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * LEICESTERSHIRE * 1904 ⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫ |
3 |
* JOHN TAYLOR & CO. * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * LEICESTERSHIRE * 1904 ⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫⛫ |
4 |
* JOHN TAYLOR & CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1897 ☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘ |
5 |
*JOHN TAYLOR & CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1900 ☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘☘ |
6 |
*JOHN TAYLOR & CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1897 ↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈ |
7 |
*JOHN TAYLOR AND CO * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * LEICESTERSHIRE * 1900 ↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈ |
8 |
*JOHN TAYLOR AND CO. * FOUNDERS * ↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈↈ THIS BELL AND ALSO THE SIXTH AND FOURTH WERE CAST AND PLACED IN THIS TOWER BY THE RESIDENTS OF BURGESS HILL IN COMMEMORATION OF THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF QUEEN VICTORIA. A.D. 1897 |
◛ = Fig. LX,c (Bell 1)
◉ =Fig. LVII,a (Bell 1)
* = Fig. LX,e (Bells 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
⛫= Fig. LX,f (Bells 2,3)
☘ = Fig. LXIII,a (Bells 4,5)
ↈ = Fig. LXIII,a (Bells 6,7,8)
*Click on images to enlarge them*
◉ =Fig. LVII,a (Bell 1)
* = Fig. LX,e (Bells 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8)
⛫= Fig. LX,f (Bells 2,3)
☘ = Fig. LXIII,a (Bells 4,5)
ↈ = Fig. LXIII,a (Bells 6,7,8)
*Click on images to enlarge them*
Photographs:
Monday: 19:45 - 21:00
Sunday: 09:15 - 10:00
Lower Church Road, Burgess Hill, RH15 9AA
