Bunbury Church Bells - Proposals for refurbishment

At the last Bunbury P.C.C. meeting it was decided that the church bells should be rehung and refurbished. This decision was a logical follow on to the ongoing survey of the tower carried out by English Heritage after the structural restorations of 1990-92. After ten years of surveying, the tower is now considered stable - for which we must all feel thankful! Ringing restrictions, imposed since 1969, have been lifted.

It had been the view of successive Tower Captains and Church Wardens that any major expense concerning the bells should be deferred until the stability problem was finally settled. This being done, and because the bells have been extremely "heavy-going" for several years, it was felt that the time is now ripe for a major overhaul of the bells.

The tower is one of the oldest parts of the church. It was built in the 'decorated' style and was probably started about 1300, though, with one notable exception, it is impossible to date any of the mediaeval church with any great certainty. The notable exception is the Ridley Chapel, which was built in 1527 and can be considered the "new" part of the present-day Bunbury church.

The tower contains eight bells, varying in date from a mediaeval tenor bell to the two trebles of late Victorian vintage. It is fortunate that the bells are fully described in The Church Bells of Bunbury, Cheshire, J.W.Clarke (1950), No. 3 of The Bunbury Papers edited by the then Vicar of Bunbury, later Canon Maurice H. Ridgway.

Of particular interest is the 14 cwt. mediaeval tenor bell, inscribed Sancti Bonifaci, showing that it was specially cast for Bunbury Church. Historians attribute a date of c.1510 to the bell, which may also indicate that the tower was finished at about that time. This bell has, therefore, been in regular use for nearly 500 years and, except for the removal of its cannons at an unknown date, remains a pre- Reformation bell of quite acceptable tonal quality. It is interesting to note that two of Bunbury's most illustrious heroes, Sir Ralph Egerton and Sir George Beeston, would have heard this bell sound out similarly to today.

Over the intervening centuries, more bells were added, so that by 1893 there were six bells which were then rehung, complete with new fittings, in a new frame. The bells were augmented to eight in 1895 and, apart from the fitting of ball-bearings in 1926, the bells have been rung regularly - World War II excepted - ever since, without any major expense.

By the late 1990s, however, it was clear that the eight bells were becoming increasingly difficult to ring, so the advice of the English Heritage bell expert was sought. He recommended that the existing oak bell-frame be retained, but all the moving bell parts, e.g. clappers, bearings, pulleys, etc. were time-expired and should be renewed. It was also suggested that the overall tonal qualities of the ring could be improved somewhat by modern tuning techniques.

Bunbury P.C.C. has accepted the English Heritage bell report together with the associated recommendations to rehang and refurbish the bells as noted above. Subject to a faculty being granted, the bells will be removed from the tower and transported to the works of Eayre and Smith, Bellhangers and Engineers, of Melbourne, Derbyshire. It is proposed to retune the seven lighter bells around the mediaeval tenor, which will be left untouched. Any suspect ironwork in the bell-frame will be replaced as necessary.

A supplementary (no cost) proposal is to install a half cwt. bell (13" diam.), saved from the former Haughton Mission Room, as a Sanctus or Service Bell. This will bring an unused bell into regular use. Quite fortuitously, this bell is pitched one octave above the Victorian treble bell, so that musically it is well matched.

For more than 20 years, the Ringers have donated part of their wedding fees to a fund for an eventual bell restoration scheme. The present balance of this fund, the Dennis Morfey Memorial Fund - a former Tower Captain - including a few bequests, exceeds £5,600. This is a useful start to raising the overall cost of about £25,000, which is the preferred (and lowest) quotation. Additional funds will be sought from various bell charities which have been or will be approached for donations. Private donations will, of course, be most welcome!

John Elsworth

(Former Church Warden and Tower Captain)

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