Other Major Components For Sponsorship

Below is a list of other major components that can be sponsored. The diagrams at the foot of this section illustrate some of the terms used to describe the components that go to make up a bell in its frame.

The Lifting Beams	These will be new steel girders mounted above the bells and will be used to lower the installation, piece by piece, to the ground, and to raise it when the restoration work has been completed by the bell-hangers
The Grillage	This framework of new galvanised steel girders forms the foundation upon which the bell-frame sits. Several new steels will be required, as the old ones have rusted. The new grillage will be inserted into the tower walls in pockets, and concreted in
The Bell Frame	The existing frame will be cleaned, protected against rust and painted. The old plain bearings will be replaced with self-aligning ball bearing races, enabling the bells to be swung more easily
Headstocks	Made of cast iron, these items hold the bell in the frame. They contain a mechanism to align the clapper centrally, to ensure even striking - an essential part of the design
Fittings (wheels, clappers, stays, sliders and pulley blocks)	New fittings are required throughout as the old ones have reached the end of their useful life. A picture of a bell with all its fittings in place is shown below
Welding of the 5th Bell	The 5th bell has too many holes in its crown and will be welded using a firm that specialises in repairs to bells (Soundweld) to ensure there is no danger of it cracking
Tuning	The eight bells will be tuned by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, acknowledged leaders in this specialism, using 'Simpson' tuning techniques
The Rope Guide	A new rope guide will enable the long draught in the ringing room to become much more manageable for the ringers. It will be mounted approximately five metres from floor level

Bell Parts This diagram of a bell hung for ringing shows its fittings.

The frame in which it's mounted would sit on the upper beams of the grillage when placed in the tower.

The rope passes through a pulley, down through the floor of the ringing chamber, and into the ringing room, where a new rope guide will reduce the effect of the draught from ceiling to floor, making it easier to ring. The bell is about ten metres above the ringer's head!

Bells During Refurbishment These bells have been re-hung in the workshop of White’s of Appleton, and are a peal of ten destined for St Helen’s Church in Abingdon.

White’s is one of four bell-hangers which has submitted tenders for the restoration project at Shepton Mallet.