Wollaton
St Leonard

Bells

There are six bells in a frame to accommodate eight:

  Founder Inscription Date Size Weight
Treble  Abel Rudhall of Gloucester

PEACE AND GOOD NEIGHBOURHOOD 1737

 1737 26.50" 4 0 27
2 Abel Rudhall of Gloucester

PROSPERITY TO OUR NOBLE BENEFACTOR 1737

 1737 27.00" 4 0 0
3 Abel Rudhall of Gloucester

PROSPERITY TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND

 1737 28.50" 4 1 0
4 John Taylor & Co of Loughborough

THOS. MEARRS OF LONDON FECIT 1817

 2010 28.88" 4 2 24
5 Henry Oldfield II of Nottingham

PERCIVAL WILLOUGHBY KNIGHT 1606

 1606 30.25" 4 0 23

Tenor

George Oldfield of Nottingham

GOD SAVE THE CHURCH 1641

 1641 32.75" 5 1 23

The peal is in the Key of A.

The 4th bell was previously cast by Thomas Mears of Whitechapel in 1817.

The earliest record of bells is the entry in the Inventory of church goods taken on the orders of King Edward VI in 1552. This states 'Wollaston iii belles'. They were recast at various times as they became damaged.

The second (now the fifth) was recast in 1606 by Henry Oldfield II in Long Row, Nottingham. The third (now the sixth) was recast in 1641 by George Oldfield, son of Henry. The treble (now the fourth) was recast in 1703 by William Noone, bellfounder and successor to George Oldfield. This bell has undergone further recasts.

In 1737 three lighter bells were added, cast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester, a gift of Lord Middleton. By 1817 the fourth bell was cracked and was taken for recasting by Thomas Mears the younger at Whitechapel.

The bells were rehung using the old wooden frame by J Taylor of Loughborough about 1890 when they provided new fittings and quarter-turned the bells. In 1952 the bells were rehung in a new frame, again by J Taylor.

Four of the six bells
seen at close quarters
in church when they
had been lowered
for restoration work
to be carried out
in 2010.

In 2010 the bells were retuned. The 1889 bell-frame was reconfigured to allow for the completion of the octave at some later date and was mounted on a new steel grillage. The cracked 6th bell was recast and all were provided with new fittings by John Taylor & Co. of Loughborough.

Handbells

There has been an intermittent history of handbell-ringing at Wollaton over the years.

In 2008 a fresh band was formed which took over the existing bells, 2 octaves in F. After that 9 accidentals were added: 2 x B, 2 x C sharp, 1 E flat, 2 x F sharp and a high G and A, which are tuned to the pitch of the others.