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Stone
Bells Appeal
It
is now three months
since the appeal was
launched to raise
money to replace the
bells and bell frame
in St Michael and St
Wulfad’s church.
The money is
needed because the
bells, which date back
to the 18th
century, cannot be
retuned anymore and
the frame, which is
even older, is cracked
and moves when the
bells are rung.
The
response to the appeal
has been very
encouraging with two
definite pledges for
individual bells.
These, when the time
comes, will have the
names of the donors
cast into them, which
will be a lasting
legacy for the next
two or three hundred
years. Other donations
will also be recorded
for posterity, with
either the name of the
donor or the name of
the person in whose
memory the bequest has
been made.
There
have also been other
fund raising events
and the North
Staffordshire
Association of Change
Ringers has made a
generous grant to the
Appeal.
In
total the appeal now
has funds and pledges
amounting to £32,000,
towards the total 0f
£140,000 that is
needed.
The launch of the appeal to replace
the bells in the tower
of St Michael and St
Wulfad’s Church in
Stone took place on
Thursday May
12th.
This
is a highly important
appeal, giving the
people of Stone an
opportunity to
share in the making of
history for the next
300 years.
The
present church bells
have rung out over
Stone from for many
centuries. Six of the
bells date back to
1710 and the wooden
frame on which they
hang is probably much
older.
However, they
now need to be
replaced. Because of
wear, the bells are at
the point where they
can no longer be
retuned and the frame
is cracked and moves
when the bells are
rung.
The
Stone Bells Appeal is
to have the bells
recast as a new ring
of eight and hang them
in a new metal frame.
Because the old wooden
frame is of such
historic interest, it
will be left where it
is and access will be
provided for anyone
wanting to see, or
study, it.
The
project will cost in
the order of £130,000
and it is anticipated
that raising this
amount of money will
take a number of
years.
Various fund
raising events and
functions will be
planned.
Our
aim is to ensure that
the bells will ring
out in celebration
over Stone, now and
over the next three
hundred years for
future generations.
This
is a opportunity for
you to share in the
making of history in
Stone. It
is also an opportunity
for your name and
perhaps the name of a
loved one to be
forever (at least the
next 300 years)
commemorated. By
donating a bell, which
will be suitably
inscribed or donating
one of the component
parts, your name will
then be recorded and
displayed. These
are the costs of the
bells and components
needed.
| Bell |
Weight |
Cost |
|
|
|
| Treble |
4
cwt |
£6,200 |
| 2nd |
4.1
cwt |
£6,300 |
| 3rd |
4.3
cwt |
£6,970 |
| 4th |
5
cwt |
£7,305 |
| 5th |
6
cwt |
£8,715 |
| 6th |
6.3
cwt |
£9,640 |
| 7th |
9
cwt |
£12,500 |
| Tenor |
13
cwt |
£17,300 |
| Components |
Cost |
|
|
| Head
Stock |
£850 |
| Bearing |
£220 |
| Wheel |
£900 |
| Pulley |
£120 |
| Slider |
£50 |
| Runner |
£40 |
| Stay |
£40 |
| Rope
Boss |
£70 |
| Clapper |
£260 |
| Crown
Staple |
£200 |
| Slide
Pivot |
£35 |
| Slide
Frame * 2 |
£1,800 |
If
you would like to
donate a sum of money,
then please contact Dr
B A C Smith at 4
Foxwood Close, Walton,
Stone, ST15 0LN or by
phone on 01785 815767.
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