The Parish Church of Marwood, North Devon

The tower at Marwood has a peal of six bells. Five of the bells originally cast in 1771 are still being rung today nearly 240 years later. The treble (lightest bell) was cast in 1891 and completes the peal.

Thomas Bilbie of Cullompton cast the bells in 1771 and John Warner & Sons of London cast the treble in 1891.

All the bells were rehung in 1972 by John Taylor and Co.

The pitch of the tenor bell is 687Hz which is note F on the international pitch. There is a regular practice night on most Wednesday evenings and the bells are usually rung for Sunday morning services as well as other special occasions.

The ringing chamber is comfortably large enough for ringing and watching, but the bell chamber is a tight squeeze as the pictures below show.

Bells 6,1,2,3 from left. You can see how they are fitted  together in close formation.

The 4th bell showing the Headstock (axle) that holds the bell. The bell rope is wound around the wheel and this turns as the bell rope is pulled. At the bottom is the Stay. This allows the bell to be parked in the up position. It is also a stopping mechanism but must not be abused.

Looking into the 6th bell (tenor). This bell is in the ‘up’ position as are the others. The clapper has just hit the side of the bell to make it ring. Visitors to a bell tower would normally see the bells in the ‘down’ position.

The chart in the ringing chamber detailing the date, size, and weight of each bell. There are also many certificates of ringing competitions entered and won over the years.

The Tower rules are on display. These have remained in force unchanged since 7th January 1901.

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