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St Peter & St Paul Shiplake, Oxfordshire
BELL RESTORATION PROJECT DETAILS |
| Updated as at 20th December 2008 |
The church of St Peter & Paul, Shiplake in Oxfordshire has 8 bells which are rung regularly by a team whose ranges range from 11 years to 80+years old. As well as fulfilling the normal functions of ringing for regular services, weddings, funerals and other special services and practices, Shiplake is one of the South East’s leading centres for the teaching and advancement of the art of campanology, (bellringing). Shiplake Ringing Centre won the 2006 Founders Prize for the best Ringing Centre in the UK and it provides comprehensive teaching facilities that are used extensively by ringers locally and throughout the Oxford Diocese. These facilities are made available on a voluntary donation basis to any bone fide ringing group. Other activities based at the centre include monthly advanced practices and an annual summer school of 3 days intensive teaching. The centre has close associations with the adjacent Shiplake College, (boarding 13 - 18 years), and each year, groups of pupils from the College are taught to ring, often as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme. In addition, the year 6 class from Shiplake Primary School and the local Cub Scouts visit the Centre each year to learn about ringing and have a try. This has led to some of the pupils and cubs becoming accomplished ringers and members of the band. The Bells, Fittings and Frame Today Shiplake bells are hung in wooden frame dating from 1868 with additions made in 1902 and major repairs last made in 1925. The bell fittings are from these dates. The position of the bellframe also means that weather protection of the installation is currently inadequate, and the external sound distribution is uneven. The bells themselves were cast at various dates between 1868 and 1925, but are not fine examples of their founder’s art. |
The Restoration Project Rather than undertake another make do and mend improvement of the installation, the band is embarking on a major restoration project, the primary objectives of which are to:
Three leading bell-hanging/bell-founding companies have submitted various alternative proposals to achieve these objectives. Our preferred solution is to replace the existing ring with one of comparable weight, tuned to the very best modern standards and hung in a new metal frame, with all new bell fittings, lower in the tower. We plan to maximise the amount of work we do ourselves, but even allowing for this, the favoured estimate for the project will entail an expenditure of £90,000 excluding VAT. (The church is a listed building so any VAT payable may be reclaimed by virtue of the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme). Our installation will look similar to that at St Helen, Abingdon, Oxon, (although with 8 rather than 10 bells), which can be viewed via this link:
Progress to Date After receiving the estimates and a structural engineer’s report, we prepared a proposal for the PCC and gained their authority to make a formal submission to the Diocesan Bells Advisor. He has agreed the scheme and it was subsequently approved by the full Diocesan Advisory Committee . The proposals have also been agreed by the Church architect and subsequently by English Heritage. The Faculty for the project was granted on the 10th December 2008. Whites of Appleton are to be the main contractors, with the Whitechapel Bellfoundry casting the new bells, hopefully in September 2009. Building the new frame and on-site work by Whites will start in October 2009 with completion targeted by the end of December 2009. Some preparatory work on the interior clock chamber stonework will be undertaken, probably in late January 2009, and will necessitate the bells being out of action for about 2 weeks. Fund Raising The Parochial Church Council is very supportive of the project and have promised up to £10,000 for the bell restoration fund, if sufficient money cannot be raised through fund raising initiatives, donations and grants They do however have other projects that require funding, including new toilets, dealing with damp and a building a church office and we are therefore doing our best to raise all the money necessary for the bells without having to draw on their resources.. We are already putting all donations from use of the Ringing Centre into the bell fund and have undertaken a multi-stage appeal, targeted at getting individual donors for the 8 new bells complete with all their bell fittings, (see the table on the Shiplake Restoration page ). We now have donors for all the new bells and this together with other donations, promised grants and the results of fund raising events held so far means that we have currently (Christmas 2008) raised £83,700 of the total estimated cost of £92,000. (The latter is the total sum required after allowing for the value of the metal from the old bells). The old bells will, be re-cast unless potential purchasers come forward to buy some or all of them for re-use elsewhere. There is already interest from other churches in purchasing the four lightest bells. The timber from the old oak bell-frame (apart from one side which will be preserved in-situ as requested by English Heritage) will also be sold to help fund the project. We are continuing to seek donations toward the new frame and other work, as well as undertaking fund raising activities. The challenge is to raise all the remaining funds as quickly as possible Please help us to complete funding of this project by making a donation to: "Shiplake with Dunsden PCC Bell Fund" However the simplest way to do this is to complete the Gift Aid Donation form and send it to the above address Thank you. |
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© Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers 2009 - Reading Banch
