Crawley Down, All SaintsCrawley Down church has a single bell, hung in a west-facing bellcote.
The church was first built in 1843, with extra additions and enlargements over time. The main survivor of the 1843 build is the west wall with its stone 9.A frame. |
|
Bell |
Weight |
Diameter |
Nominal |
Note |
Founder |
Cast |
Canon |
Hanging |
1 |
12.00" |
1813 Hz |
B♭ |
Thomas II Mears |
1843 |
Swing |
About the bell
1 Bell, in B♭
When the church was built, Thomas Mears Jnr* supplied a single bell to the church. It carries the foundry name around the inscription band, made using letters stamped into the outer mould. The letter N in FOUNDER seems to have been accidently impressed lower that the rest. It has a conventional canon that sits on top of a curved head mould.
The bell is strapped to an elm headstock, and chimed by a lever. The clapper, which hangs on a cast in crown staple by an iron baldrick, has suffered from the elements and is now heavily corroded. Similarly, the bearing houses are also rusty and are plain instead of ball bearings.
Also shown at Coolhurst, the bell hangs at an angle to suggest that the rope is too heavy for the bell.
Interestingly, Elphick states that the "Present bell appears to be uninscribed, c.12" from the Whitechapel foundry, probably dating from either 1871 or 1888."
This is worth noting since the bell witnessed by Tyssen is there today, but Elphick's isn't.
1 bell in a fair condition.
Visited:
.17/03/2022 with Ollie E P Watson
.27/03/2022
When the church was built, Thomas Mears Jnr* supplied a single bell to the church. It carries the foundry name around the inscription band, made using letters stamped into the outer mould. The letter N in FOUNDER seems to have been accidently impressed lower that the rest. It has a conventional canon that sits on top of a curved head mould.
The bell is strapped to an elm headstock, and chimed by a lever. The clapper, which hangs on a cast in crown staple by an iron baldrick, has suffered from the elements and is now heavily corroded. Similarly, the bearing houses are also rusty and are plain instead of ball bearings.
Also shown at Coolhurst, the bell hangs at an angle to suggest that the rope is too heavy for the bell.
Interestingly, Elphick states that the "Present bell appears to be uninscribed, c.12" from the Whitechapel foundry, probably dating from either 1871 or 1888."
This is worth noting since the bell witnessed by Tyssen is there today, but Elphick's isn't.
1 bell in a fair condition.
Visited:
.17/03/2022 with Ollie E P Watson
.27/03/2022
Recording of the bell:
How the bell is tuned in relation to the 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+
Hum - 520Hz - C-10
Prime - 850Hz - Ab+40
Tierce - 1088Hz - Db-32 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1494.5Hz - F#+17
Nominal - 1813Hz - Bb-48
Prime - 850Hz - Ab+40
Tierce - 1088Hz - Db-32 (minor 3rd)
Quint - 1494.5Hz - F#+17
Nominal - 1813Hz - Bb-48
| crawley_down.mp3 |
Inscriptions:
*Underlined text is around the inscription band*
Bell |
Inscription |
1 |
THOMAS MEARS FOUNDER LONDON 1843 |
Photographs:
*Click on the images to enlarge them*
Sources:
© Kye L Leaver 2025. All rights reserved.
- ELPHICK, George. P (1970): Sussex Bells & Belfries p.289
- TYSSEN, Amhurst. D (1864): The Church Bells of Sussex
- https://sussexparishchurches.org/church/crawley-down-all-saints/
© Kye L Leaver 2025. All rights reserved.
