Wellow
St Swithin

Bells

From the mid-17th century until the end of the 20th century the church possessed three bells, but by the end of the 20th century they had become unringable. From 2001, the parish began to raise money to renovate these, restore the clock, and add more bells to compete the ring.

In 2003, the oldest existing bell, dating from the 1560s, which had been the tenor of the old derelict peal of three, was relocated and hung as a clock bell. The other two old bells were retuned and hung as the two largest bells of the remodelled peal with new fittings in a new bellframe set out for six. A second-hand George Oldfield bell, formerly hung in Ragnall, was retuned and hung as the fourth bell. In 2005, a new bell was installed as the third bell of the six. In 2007 two further bells were installed to complete the peal of six bells. The 1936 bell came from a church in Reading.

The peal is tuned to the key of A (899Hz).

Bell

Founder

Date

 

Weight

 

 

 

 

cwt

qrs

lbs

Treble

Taylor, Eayre & Smith of Loughborough

2006

3

0

14

2

Gillett & Johnston of Croydon

1936

2

3

24

3

Taylor of Loughborough

2004

4

0

15

4

George Oldfield I of Nottingham

1676

4

0

1

5

George Oldfield I of Nottingham

1660

5

0

13

Tenor

George Oldfield I of Nottingham

1635

6

2

5

Clock bell

Ralph Heathcote II of Chesterfield

c.1568

6

1

12

The 1660 bell bears the inscription ‘Jesus Be our Guide.’ The 1635 bell bears the inscription ‘God save His Church.’ The 1560s bell bears the inscription ‘Gloria In Excelsis Deo.’

The historic wooden bellframe has been retained, and the the bells have been rehung in a new low-sided galvanised fabricated steel frame set out for six bells built below the wooden frame.