Gossops Green, St AlbansGossops Green has 2 bells, hung dead in an east-facing tower. Build as part of the Crawley New Town project, the church was built in 1961 by Thomas Ford entirely of brick. Sadly, the tower now suffers from structural issues.
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The Bells
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
1-3-20 cwt |
20.00" |
1972.5 Hz |
B |
1964 |
Dead |
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2 |
4-0-14 cwt |
26.50" |
1309.5 Hz |
E |
1961 |
Dead |
2 Bells, 4-0-14 in E ( Tuning 1,5 of 5)
In 1961, Mears & Stainbank were commissioned to supply 2 bells for the newly built tower. The tenor was a sand castings, and weighs a little over 4cwt, and the treble was cast 3 years later. Each carry a short inscription on the waist featuring the foundry name, date, and trademark. They were cast without canons, and have the conventional moulding wire configuration.
They are tuned to Simpson's 5-tone principle, a major 5th apart. Interestingly, the treble has a semitone-sharp quint.
Due to heavy bird mess, the inscription on the tenor is very unclear to locate from the ground.
Each has a different style of clapper. The treble's is fairly traditional where the tenor's is what you'd expect to see in a carillon.
The bells are bolted to wooden deadstocks that rest on corbels, treble below tenor. They are chimed from the ground floor using ropes, and are accessed by a series of ladders. A 20 rung ladder is required to reach the hatch.
Visited: 11/12/2021
In 1961, Mears & Stainbank were commissioned to supply 2 bells for the newly built tower. The tenor was a sand castings, and weighs a little over 4cwt, and the treble was cast 3 years later. Each carry a short inscription on the waist featuring the foundry name, date, and trademark. They were cast without canons, and have the conventional moulding wire configuration.
They are tuned to Simpson's 5-tone principle, a major 5th apart. Interestingly, the treble has a semitone-sharp quint.
Due to heavy bird mess, the inscription on the tenor is very unclear to locate from the ground.
Each has a different style of clapper. The treble's is fairly traditional where the tenor's is what you'd expect to see in a carillon.
The bells are bolted to wooden deadstocks that rest on corbels, treble below tenor. They are chimed from the ground floor using ropes, and are accessed by a series of ladders. A 20 rung ladder is required to reach the hatch.
Visited: 11/12/2021
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+
Bell 1
Hum - 494Hz - B+0
Prime - 987Hz - B+0
Tierce - 1174Hz - D+0 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1577Hz - G+10
Nominal - 1972.5Hz - B-2
Prime - 987Hz - B+0
Tierce - 1174Hz - D+0 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1577Hz - G+10
Nominal - 1972.5Hz - B-2
| gossopsgreen1.mp3 |
Bell 2
Hum - 327Hz - E-10
Prime - 656Hz - E-8
Tierce - 779.5Hz - G-9 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 922Hz - B-7
Nominal - 1309.5Hz - E-11
Prime - 656Hz - E-8
Tierce - 779.5Hz - G-9 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 922Hz - B-7
Nominal - 1309.5Hz - E-11
| gossops_green_2.wav |
Inscriptions:
1 |
MEARS 19 ◉ 64 LONDON |
2 |
1961 ◉ MEARS LONDON |
◉ = Fig. AWD, 1 (Bells 1,2)
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
