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St.
John the Baptist, Little Marlow
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Bless,
O Lord our God, the worship and work of this church
that it may be a house of prayer, a centre of
Christian teaching,
a community of service, and a witness to your
redeeming love;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
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14th
Century Church situated in the heart of our village.
Pipe Organ Appeal (S.O.S)
A very big thank you to everyone who has pledged or donated to the organ fund. Having reviewed the
feedback from questionnaires the organ committee has decided that there is no contest, the majority of support
is for a pipe organ not a digital organ. The appeal for the pipe organ is now OPEN. The pipe organ needs to be
replaced since it has deteriorated to a state where refurbishment is no longer an option. To date we have
received pledges and donations which indicate the current fund available is in the region of £7000. The cost
of the replacement pipe organ is in the region of £100,000.
Whilst the project will be seeking help from the Heritage Lottery and other organizations it is
clear that if we want to be accompanied by the pipe organ every Sunday and also at special
occasions we need people to make very significant donations to the fund. It has been
agreed by the organ committee that 10% of every donation will be given to a local charity,
The lain Rennie Hospice at Home.
During the summer months we are planning various appeals through local newsletters and
planning concerts to raise money for the fund. If you are able to contribute in any way or
make a significant donation to the fund please contact Joanna Lewis on 01628 529108
Soon there will be a display in Church so that you can monitor the progress of the project.
Updates will appear in the Parish Newsletter. If you have any ideas or would like to be part
of the fund raising process please contact Joanna Lewis. Some of you have already said
that you would be prepared to take part in a concert or perform a solo, we will be in contact
with you shortly. On a final note I would like to say this is going to be a significant project,
thank you for your support to date and your continued support.
As the saying goes... Thunderbirds are GO
Joanna Lewis
THE BELLS The two earlier articles* on the church bells of St John the Baptist,
Little Marlow, recounted their chronological history, followed by a description of the three bells now in the
belfry. This one explains how the bells are hung and about the wooden frames that support them. *(Newsletters April and
August 2000). Each bell is fixed by iron straps to a short wooden beam (the crosshead) which has an iron spindle set in each end. This enables it to
rotate in bronze bearings. A five feet diameter wooden "rope wheel" is clamped to one end of the crosshead and the bell is turned by pulling a rope fastened to the periphery of this.
The bell bearings are set in the top of upright (oak) wood frames, one each side of the bell. The three bells are swinging between four frames. The two intermediate frames predate the outer ones. This suggests there was once only one bell hanging in the centre of the belfry some time before 1637, the first date that three bells are recorded.
The older frames comprised a single post supported by two curved braces down to a ground beam. The more recent frames had three posts between a head beam and a ground beam, with straight diagonal braces. When the tower clock was installed in 1834, the post was removed from beneath one of the heaviest bell's bearings (the tenor) to make way for the striking hammer.
This caused a serious weakening of the bearing, and, recently, a partial collapse. The adjacent frame supporting the combined weight of the other bearing of the tenor bell together with one of the bearings of the
second bell had its curved brace broken out of its mortice in the post. All the frames had become unsteady.
Now the missing post has been replaced and the curved brace fits snugly into its repaired post joint so that the frames have their original structural stability. During the repairs, the bells were lowered to the floor and their elm crossheads removed. Each one was carefully inspected and measured, including all defects. The strength of each was calculated and found to he entirely adequate to support the weight of its swinging bell. The wrought iron straps were normalised (heat treated) and some parts were strengthened. Inside the bells the clapper "T" head
bearings were rebuilt to fit the crown staples and their iron straps, and the leather baldricks (washers) were overhauled to fit snugly. The cast-in crown staples were not corroded and, on inspection, looked very sound in the bronze. In conclusion, the bells and bell frame are now in good order for ringing. Minor adjustments still have to be made to their ropes and
stays. Christopher Wallis
Click on the pictures for more information |
