Bells & Bell Ringing

Our new bells!

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Our Bellstory ...

November 2017: Our New Bells

Our ten new bells were blessed at a special service on 5 November by The Rt. Rev'd Cyril Ashton, Bishop of Doncaster.  Each was allocated the name of a northern Saint chosen by Messy Church and the classes of St Michael's Primary School.

Bell No. 2, St Hilda

Specifications (all bearing a company mark for John Taylor of Loughborough):

Tenor (St Ebbe: Abbess of the Monastery at Ebchester) E
45" diam. 16 cwt 0 qtrs 5lbs/815kg
Inscription [from previous parish]: THIS PEAL OF BELLS WAS ERECTED TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN LOVING MEMORY OF THE LATE CAROLINE GRIDLAND OF THIS PARISH WHO DIED OCTOBER 13TH 1925.

No. 9 (St Wilfrid: Abbott of Ripon Monastery) F#
40" diam. 11 cwt 1 qtr 0 lbs/572 kg

No. 8 (St Oswald: Archbishop of York) G#
36" diam. 8 cwt 1 qtr 0 lbs/419kg

No. 7 (St Cedd: Missionary Bishop) A#
34" diam. 7 cwt 0 qtrs 12 lbs/361 kg

No. 6 (St Chad: Bishop of Northumberland) B
32" diam. 6 cwt 1 qtr 7 lbs/321 kg
Inscription: BELLS 1 TO 6 FROM THE 1846 C & G MEARS PEAL OF EIGHT.  REMEMBERING OUR BENEFACTORS THE BIRLEY'S BAILIFFS OF KIRKHAM.

No. 5 (St Bede: Monk of Jarrow Abbey) C#
29 1/2" diam. 5 cwt 0 qtrs 21 lbs/264 kg
Inscription: RICHARD W BUNDAY VICAR ANTHONY F KAY YVONNE C MALINGS MICHAEL J O'BRIEN } CHURCH WARDENS TERRY E B WILLIAMS BELL CAPTAIN

No. 4 (St Aidan: First Bishop of Lindisfarne) D#
28" diam. 4 cwt 3 qtrs 14 lbs/248 kg
Inscription: ROBERT & BARBARA KIRBY

No. 3 (St Cuthbert: Bishop of Lindisfarne) F#
27" diam. 4 cwt 1 qtr 7lbs/219kg
Inscription: ROBERT & RUTH STEWART

No. 2 (St Hilda: Founding Abbess of Whitby Abbey) F#
26" diam. 4 cwt 0 qtrs 14 lbs/206kg
Inscription: TOM & BETH POMFRET FRED MANSFIELD

Treble (St Paulinus: First Bishop of York) G#
25" diam. 4 cwt 0 qtrs 0 lbs/203kg
Inscription: THE LANCASHIRE ASSOCIATION OF CHANGE RINGERS "CANTATE DOMINO CANTICUM NOVUM CANTATE DOMINO OMNIS TERRA"

Bell No. 5, St Bede

In preparation for their installation, volunteers removed the old belfry floor, including the huge oak timbers which supported it, and installed a new one.

The main beam from the old belfry floor

Tower Captain Terry and bellringer Keith hard at work!

September 2017: Our New Bells Cast, Fettled and Tuned

Six of our newly cast bells at the Foundry

Six new bells were cast and united with four acquired from a redundant Welsh church.  After casting, the next step was to tune them  - listen here.  See us on Taylor's fascinating website (scroll down to find Kirkham).

6 July 2017: First Casting Session

Some of our coach party at the Foundry

A coach-load travelled to Loughborough watch the first casting session.

The process explained

Mould buried and will be left for a week so it cools down slowly

Casting of our No.6 bell

The old bells left Kirkham on 25 November 2016 for recasting at Taylor's.  The Treble and No.4 were sent to Holy Cross Church in Slapton, Buckinghamshire. 

The bells loaded onto Taylor's lorry, ready for the off

The Tenor with some of our bell ringers

The bells up ready for removal of fittings

The last Sunday Service ring was on 30 October 2016, with the final Practice the following evening, and then volunteers prepared the bells and tower for the arrival of Taylor's bell founders.

To substantially reduce costs we had eight working days during which to remove all fittings from the bells themselves; clappers, stays, sliders, ropes and wheels.  Removing these gave better access to the clock chime hammers and counterbalance weights.  We then removed all woodwork, floor pulleys and guides in the clock room (silent chamber), followed by the removal of the high level rope guide within the ringing room itself.  The dedicated team of volunteers did a great job.

Looking down on the bells after the removal of their wheels

The removed wheels

The removed clappers.

The two-part Tenor clapper (far left) is almost 2m long and weighs 39.6kgs!

The chime hammer for the tower clock from bell No.3
- how many hours had this marked?

The rope spider holds the bell ropes
while they are not in use

Fylde Ringers rang a final quarter peal on Thursday 27 October 2016 dedicated to the placing of the Colours of the 7th Battalion Loyal Lancs Regiment in our church, the opening of Church Memorial House and the unveiling of the commemorative plaque to those who fell in World War I.

We shall remember them.

The Restoration Project

Our exciting Project replaced the heavy, discordant, difficult to ring, 170 year old peal of eight bells with a modern, lighter, harmonically tuned peal of ten.  The lighter weight and the provision of a new ringing room makes these bells easier to ring and provides an excellent training facility.

Of the ten new bells, the front six were recast from our old ones, with the details of the benefactors from 1846 newly inscribed, and the back four came from a redundant church in Porth in Glamorgan.

Part of the cost was funded by an application from the PCC to the Kirby Trust, with additional funding being sought from businesses and charitable trusts.  Donations may be made by cheque, made payable to the Bell Restoration Account, or in cash.  Please place in an envelope labelled 'Bell Fund' and hand to any bell ringer or Church official, post into the slot at the back of the Church or post to The Treasurer, St Michael's Church, Church Street, Kirkham, PR4 2SE.  Electronic transfers may be sent to the Bell Restoration Account number 80300987, sort code 01-04-84.  Please Gift Aid where possible.  Any contribution is appreciated, no matter how small.

You may also be able to assist in more practical ways  - all you need is a willingness to help.

Bells
The original eight bells were installed in 1846 by Mears and Stainbank at a cost of £580,6s and were the heaviest on the Fylde.   In September 1922, they were re-hung at a cost of £250.00 to commemorate the centenary of the Church.  Parishioners raised the money as recorded on a stone plaque inside the church.

Bell Ringers
In the 1930’s the main body of ringers came from the Cookson family, with Chris Cookson being the Bell Captain; a connection which continues. After World War II the whole team of ringers were from the Cookson family; 3 sons, one brother, 3 cousins and Bell Captain George Cookson. George’s son Keith, is still ringing,  and his daughter Angela also rings when in town.

The 1930's Bellringing Team - Back row left to right: Ephriam Parkinson; Jimmy Worthington; Jimmy Whalley; Victor Whalley (brothers) and Chris Cookson (Grandfather to Keith Cookson - still ringing).

Bellringers of 2016

 In 1979 I became Bell Captain when George passed away and am still here.  For a while I had my own dynasty with both my sons and a daughter-in-law as part of the ringing team.  All towers do struggle to maintain a band of ringers due to the demands of college, changes of employment, marriage, retirement etc. so new ringers are constantly being sought.  Bell ringing can be a very useful and interesting hobby.  It is a good introduction to new friends at college or work and many ringers holiday in parts of the country where church bells are in working order and spend some of their time going from tower to tower.
Terry Williams, Bell Captain