All Saints Church

Video of church bells

Photo story of the new peal of bells

THE BELLS AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH, SCRAPTOFT – UPDATE

At 10.00 a.m. on Christmas Eve 2008 work on the installation of a peal of six bells for full-circle ringing was completed. Then, one hour later, the new peal was given a trial ring by a team of expert bell-ringers. For those of us fortunate enough to be present, those fifteen or so minutes were simply magical. However, that was not the end of the project. After Christmas Eve the bells had to remain silent until they had been dedicated. Nevertheless, the installation had been completed. Furthermore, the wonderful cascade of sound from the test ringing was confirmation that all of our efforts to restore full-circle ringing to the parish church had been fully justified.

My previous article was written prior to the casting of the new bell and the installation of the bell-frame and bells. In the event, the new bell was cast on November 12th. Inscriptions were added to the other five bells. The inscription on the new bell was done at the time of casting. This bell was delivered to Hayward Mills Associates’ workshop in Nottingham and all six bells were tuned so as to make a harmonious peal. This involved removing metal from the inside of each bell until the ringing sound was correct. Years ago this would have been achieved by literally knocking off parts of the rim. Not surprisingly, today computers feature in the process. Even so, the tuning of a peal of bell remains a highly skilled procedure.

Following the tuning, a headstock was fitted to each bell. The headstock allows the bell to be hung and swung. Then, on the morning of December 8th 2008, the bells, steels for the bell frame together with a host of ancillary materials were delivered to the church. The installation commenced almost immediately. As with the removal of the bells back in July, voluntary help was essential. A rota was prepared which guaranteed at least two volunteers for each session; a session being a morning or an afternoon. We were very fortunate in having no difficulty in getting the volunteers. Indeed two young men, Sam Bone and Alex Skerritt, both experienced bell ringers, were there for every session. Whilst the bells were in the body of the church Fr. Martin blessed them during a special ceremony which formed part of our usual Sunday Eucharist on December 14th.

The orientation of the new bell frame necessitated creating fresh holes in the stone walls for the ends of the steel members. This was a slow, difficult and dusty task. Once completed the steels were put in place. Mortar was mixed in the church and used to secure each steel beam. The bell frame was then constructed. Once the frame was in place wooden wheels and cages were added. The next stage was the hanging of each of the bells. During the installation a new floor was added between the bell chamber and the ringing chamber to improve soundproofing for the bell-ringers. Finally, the bell ropes were threaded around the wheels, through the holes in each floor and dropped down to the ringing chamber. The installers then carried out a detailed safety check. Then, before the test ringing, there was a second check by George Dawson, the Diocesan Bells Advisor.

Our band of ringers consisted of a mix of experienced ringers and novices. This band had attended regular practices at the Oadby Ringing Centre since last August. Once the new installation was completed many of the practice sessions were taken at our church. However, these had to be with the bells closed (silent). Strictly speaking, a new peal of bell cannot be rung until the peal has been formally dedicated. The service of dedication was arranged for the evening of 15th May. Therefore, our ringers had a useful period of time in which to gain confidence and competence. Having said that, even experienced ringers never cease learning – it is such an absorbing and challenging activity.

Finally the day of the dedication arrived. Bishop Tony Robinson took the service with Fr. Martin and Fr. Andrew in attendance. All Saints Church has 110 padded seats and a further 30 plastic ones. For this service we had sent invitations to all those people who had helped with the project. On the night we had a congregation of just over 140 – the church was full. We even had to resort to using three benches. The church looked stunning and a beautiful service was thoroughly appreciated by everyone present. After the service the bells were rung –what joy! There was also the most fantastic spread of food, wine and soft drinks for everyone to share. Ann Cattell also marked the occasion by producing one of her famous fruitcakes and plates of her “bell biscuits”. It was an evening that all of us will fondly remember for many years to come.

Now the bells will be rung every Sunday for ten minutes before the 10.00 a.m. Sung Eucharist and ten minutes after the service. There will also be a regular practice for the bellringers every Friday evening from 7.30 to 9.00 p.m. additional ringing will take place, as required, for weddings and special occasions. Occasionally, other bands of ringers will be allowed to ring our bells, but this will not be allowed before November 2009.

As this year’s All Saints’ Day falls on a Sunday – November 1st, we thought that it would be an ideal opportunity to invite the teachers of our novice bellringers to ring a quarter peal on our new bells. A quarter peal is as its name suggests a quarter of a full peal. To ring a full peal takes approximately three hours, so the quarter peal should be accomplished in forty-five minutes. This will be the first time that our bells have been rung for a part of a formal peal, so it will be a special occasion. The plan is for the teachers to commence ringing after our Sunday service – about 11.30a.m. There will then be a special lunch in the church to which all local residents are warmly invited.
Finally, we are planning to have a full peal rung by a specially invited band of ringers. As this inaugural peal will be in honour of Alan Cattell each of the ringers will have had some connection to him.

From November 2nd it will be possible for other bands of ringers to book ringing sessions. However, such sessions will only take place on Tuesdays or the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of each month (excluding Bank Holidays). There is some soundproofing in place. However, should the bells cause a problem for anyone, please do not hesitate to let Fr. Martin Court, our vicar, or Alan Mitchell, our Tower Captain know about it.

Dedication of the new Peal of Bells

The new peal of bells was dedicated at a ceremony in All Saints Church on Friday May 15th 2009. The ceremony was led by the Bishop of Pontefract, the Rt Revd Tony Robinson SSC, and the church was packed. After the ceremony the peal was rung to general delight. Bell ringing practice will now take place every Friday evening.

RESTORATION OF THE BELLS AT ALL SAINTS CHURCH –UPDATE

The three bells in the tower were removed on July 15th and 16th this year. It was a formidable task undertaken by three employees from Hayward Mills (the company that is handling the project), a team of volunteers from the church plus a very welcome volunteer from Tamworth. I say welcome because he was undoubtedly the most able of the volunteers and worked very closely with the experts.

On day 1 most of the items and rubbish that had accumulated in the bell chamber over the years were removed. The intention is that the vast majority of items will not be returned to their “resting place”. Then the exit hole from the bell chamber was enlarged and the staircase from the first floor (bell- ringing chamber) to the bell chamber removed. The angle of this staircase made it too difficult to lower the bells smoothly under control. Below the first floor of the tower is the small vestry through which the bells had to be manoeuvred. The remaining staircase from the vestry to the first floor could not be removed.

The entire focus for the second day was to get the three bells down and loaded into the Hayward Mills van. There really was very little space in which to work, nevertheless, chains and ropes were put in place and various people were assigned specific tasks. Eventually the first of the bells (the lightest) appeared at the opening of the bell chamber. Slowly, oh so slowly, this bell was lowered to the first floor. All things considered, this first part went remarkably smoothly because the bell simply had to travel vertically. Then came the more challenging task of lowering the bell down the remaining staircase. Once that was done, without incident, the bell had to be brought out through the single doorway to the vestry. Firstly, the door had to be removed. Then two of the bell fitters manoeuvred the bell onto a small flat bed trolley and simply pushed it through the doorway.

The second bell, larger than the first bell and, as it so happens, the heaviest of the three bells, came next. Because of the additional weight this one took longer to bring down but the task was completed fairly painlessly. This left the largest bell – the tenor bell, only slightly less heavy than the number two bell. All went well until the bell was on the trolley in the vestry. The doorway was just 5mm too narrow. After much deliberation, the fitters decided to take the trolley with the bell to the rear of the vestry. They then pushed the trolley, at speed, towards the opening and to everyone’s relief the trolley plus bell came through. The only damage was two small gouges from the bottom of the doorframe, soon repaired.

Having removed the three bells from the tower, the next task was to dismantle the headstock from each of the bells. This was dirty work because somebody had to get inside a bell to get a spanner onto the nuts whilst a colleague undid the bolt from the outside of the bell. Once the bells were cleared of all fittings they had to be taken down the steps and loaded on to the van. Quite a simple sentence to write, but a far from simple task to achieve. Firstly there are the very awkward steps. These steps present challenges for many members of the church, particularly when descending, so manoeuvring heavy bells down them without causing any damage required skill, brute strength and considerable patience. Thankfully though, the task was completed successfully and the three bells were loaded onto the van and taken to Hayward Mills’ base near Nottingham.

The tenor bell will be eventually be put into storage, the number two bell will become the tenor bell for the new peal and the smallest bell will find a home in another church in the diocese. Hayward Mills will now commence tuning the five bells that will be in the new peal (the three bells from the Saxby Church, the number 2 bell from All Saints and the “Belgrave” bell). Also, preparatory work will commence for the casting of the new bell, the smallest of the six bells. Hayward Mills have designed the bell, but it will be cast in the Royal Eijsbouts Bell Foundry in Asten, Holland. This foundry was awarded the designation of “ koninklijke” (royal) on the grounds of its reputation for quality and reliability. The foundry’s other claim to fame came in 2006 when it made the world’s largest ever bell. Hayward Mills always uses this foundry in the knowledge that the workmanship is of the highest order.

At the time of writing no date has yet been confirmed for the casting. However, all of the design details have been agreed. Graham and Josey Packwood who have paid for this bell
hope to travel to Holland for the casting. All being well they will return thoroughly delighted from the experience and will back a photographic record of the event. The delay in the casting of the sixth bell has pushed back the likely date for the completion of the project. It is now more likely to be towards the end of November.

Eight intrepid volunteers have been learning how to ring church bells. The training sessions take place on Friday evenings at St Peter’s Church in Oadby. St Peter’s is an official ringing centre designated to the training of the English art of change ringing. So far progress has been very good. It is hoped that this team together with one or two experienced ringers will be sufficiently confident and competent to ring the bells at All Saints for the celebration of Christmas and the new year.

RESTORATION OF THE BELLS AT OUR PARISH CHURCH OF
ALL SAINTS

On Sunday, December 2nd 2007, an appeal was launched to raise £34000 to create a peal of six bells for the traditional full circle ringing - a method of ringing found only in English churches. Basically, individual bells in the peal can be controlled in precise mechanical patterns or changes to create the wonderful sounds that have been associated with our churches throughout the centuries.

This project at All Saints was in fact started some fifteen years ago by Alan Cattell; a local resident who was not only passionate about church bells but was also a highly skilled craftsman. Although, originally, the bells at All Saints would have been hung for full circle ringing, a cost cutting decision was taken in 1960 to have just three bells hung for simple swing ringing. This enabled the bells to be sounded but not accurately controlled. Alan set about making the necessary large wooden wheels for the change to full circle ringing. Just before he died in 1997 Alan had got in place three bells, together with all of the essential fittings.

Following Alan’s death, a bell fund was set up to complete the work. However, over the ten years or so only £5000 was raised. Therefore, on the tenth anniversary of Alan’s departure the PCC (Parochial Church Council) agreed to support an appeal to raise the necessary funds to complete the work. In the event, after taking advice from a range of professionals, it was decided to opt for a peal of six bells and to have the framework rotated through 180 degrees so as to facilitate better use of the floor space in the ringing chamber (first floor of the tower). It was also agreed to utilise as much of Alan’s handiwork as possible in the new project.

George Dawson, the Diocesan Bells Advisor, kindly transferred to All Saints a peal of three bells from the village of Saxby’s church. As this church had been sold to a private developer the bells were not required. However, with minimal tuning, the internal harmonics of these three bells can be matched to one of the three existing bells and another bell that has been stored in the church for twelve years – the “Belgrave” bell. Alan Cattell rescued this Belgrave bell from St Michael’s church, on the Melton Road, when it was decided to use the building for other purposes than those of Christian worship. Completing the peal of six bells will be one new bell.

As a result of these developments only one of the three bells currently hanging in the All Saints’ tower will be used in the new peal. The remaining two bells will therefore be surplus to requirement and will be put into storage. The large tenor bell is of poor tone, but it is a seventeenth century bell and therefore does have historical interest, whereas the other bell is sound and may well be used in another church.

So the stage was set for raising a really challenging sum of money. Amazingly though, the total was reached in just three months! How was that possible? There was an invitation to pledge a sum of £3000 for the re-hanging of a bell. This applied to each of the five bells to be re-used in the new peal. The sixth bell, a new bell, yet to be cast, will be paid for separately by a couple from the congregation. Alan’s family decided to sponsor a bell in memory of Alan and another member of the congregation sponsored a bell in memory of his wife. Then the vast majority of the members of the congregation contributed to the cost of a third bell, the congregation bell, and a forth bell was dedicated to a person who had left a legacy for the bell fund ten years ago. This left just one bell. Scraptoft Parish Council kindly agreed to sponsor this bell for the people of Scraptoft. Although the sponsorship of the bells accounted for a significant proportion of the grand total required, much more was needed.

Each of the bell ropes and sallies (the furry covering near to the end of the bell rope) attracted sponsorship and many general donations were received. Also, James Harrison gave a wonderful concert that raised a very welcome £500. The Leicester Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers has been approached for a donation. At the time of writing, it is anticipated the guild will agree to make a significant donation at their meeting in August. Also, Peter Hayward, the managing director at Hayward Mills, offered to reduce his firm’s bill by £3200 if volunteer helpers can be present on the days when the existing bells are removed and also when the new ones are installed. Finally, but by no means least, there has been the extremely generous donation from the team at Hayward Mills Associates, each of whom has agreed to do the work free of charge in memory of Alan Cattell.

There will be further updates on this web site as the work progresses. If everything goes to plan, the new peal of bells should be in place by October 2008.

Bell Appeal

At the Scraptoft Parish Council meeting on Wednesday February 6th, councillors were debating whether to sponsor the acquisition of a new bell for All Saints Church. The bell would complete the peal, and there was a general sense that this would be a good thing. However, the amount of money to be pledged was considerable, so it was a tricky decision to take.

At a crucial moment the parish plan was produced, which contained a remarkable statistic. 90% of the roughly 200 respondents to the questionnaire said they valued the church. This was the turning-point and the money was pledged. It was an emotional moment.

Given that the church's congregation is quite small and mostly from outside Scraptoft, it may be assumed that the majority of the 90% are not churchgoers. It is intriguing to see to what extent the community values the church. Perhaps it is the heart of the village, if not its soul!