North Marston Bells Restoration

The North Marston bells have been left a bequest of £5000 to restore the 6 bells and add new fittings.

The money will cover the following work:

• Adapt the main bearing units to give "end-float" ... check and regrease them.
• Rebush all six clappers with machined Tufnol bushes at their point of swing resiliently ounted in neoprene rubber.  Replace in position for true striking.
• Fit new hardwood pulley units each with hard-wearing cast nylon sheaves running on twin "sealed for life" ball races.
• New ash stays for some bells.
• Free up the pivots of ash sliders.
• Check over and tighten (as required) all other ringing fittings.
• Treat fittings with insecticide.
• Remove fittings (old pulley units, some stays, bearing caps, clapper and staple units)

It was recomended that:

• The tower has rope guides fitted to reduce the long draft.  We have decided not to have rope guides installed, as the guides will only come about 2 metres down from the ceiling, meaning we would also have to have tubes so the ropes don't get caught in the frame.
• We also decided that the maintenance that is to be done to the bells would improve how easy they are to handle.  If we then think (after the maintenance has been completed) that the rope guides would be nescessary, we would think deeply into the situation and possibly look at having a ringing floor installed
• Also, it has been recomended that the bell frame is de-rusted and painted.  This would have do be done by local work as it is very time consuming.

Any spare money will be used for extras needed for the tower, so that we can possibly take part in the Oxford Diocesan Guild Towers Maintenance and Safety award scheme.

Whites of Appleton have been given the job of carrying out the majority of this work, although there will be local help... and painting of the frame will be local labour.

The work is expected to start in January or February 2009 and the bells will be out of commision for a little while.