Arley

St Wilfred 6; 7-0-12 in A (GF)

Grid Reference 140/283906 Arley. Source: Mike Chester
Postcode CV7 8RD
Affiliation Coventry DG
Peals Felstead Database
Sunday None
Practice None

History

One of many nice villages near to Coventry. The church is on the main road in OLD ARLEY, there being no ring of bells in New Arley. A nice compact church where you ring from the ground floor behind the organ. The church stands upon a slight mound. It is built of red sandstone and consists of chancel, aisleless nave with a south porch, and a west tower. The whole of the existing building appears to be of 14th-century construction, except portions of the north wall of the nave, which may be of 12th- or 13th-century date, and the modern porch, of half-timber construction with small three-light windows in each side and a tiled roof. The south wall of the nave has been refaced, its buttresses rebuilt, and portions of the window tracery removed. The whole church was restored in 1873

The H frame and fittings are by Taylor, 1929 – but the back three are fitted with wooden stocks and not cast iron ones as are the trebles. The three old bells retain their canons, the trebles being cast flat headed. The tenor has been long said to be in the key of Ab, but is actually A-12c.

The augmentation of the bells was reported in The Ringing World of October 4th 1929, with the name of the village misspelled!:

Arley 1929

The first peal on the bells was not rung until 1960:

Arley First Peal

Entrance is through the main door on the south side of the church. There is some parking just below the church on the south side in a grassed area, plus careful parking on the road by the church.

Details of the Bells

1 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1929  2-3-14  23.50″  1468.0Hz (F#-14c)
2 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1929  3-0-14  25.00″  1309.5Hz (E-12c)
3 John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1929  3-3-11  27.00″  1167.0Hz (D-11c)
4 Robert Newcombe, Leicester     c1570  4-0-03  27.875″ 1100.0Hz (C#-14c)
5 Hugh Watts II, Leicester        1625  4-3-26  30.75″   965.0Hz (B-40c)
6 Edward Arnold, Leicester        1790  7-0-12  33.625″  874.0Hz (A-12c)

Inscriptions

The inscriptions on the three old bells are given in Tilley and Walters’ book, “The Church Bells of Warwickshire”:

Arley Inscriptions
Arley Inscriptions

The three trebles are inscribed:

1 GIVEN BY
GEORGE HAZEL
A.D. 1929
CHURCHWARDEN FROM 1903
2 TO THE GLORY OF GOD
AND IN REMEMBRANCE OF
J. & S. STAIN
FROM THEIR SONS
1929
3 TO THE PRAISE OF GOD
FROM THE PARISHIONERS
1929

 

 

 Photo Gallery

Arley Looking West. Source: Mike Chester Arley - looking East. Source: Mike Chester
The Church – Looking West The Church – Looking East
Arley Ringing Chamber. Source: Mike Chester Arley Chancel. Source: Mike Chester
The Ringing Chamber The Chancel
Arley Plan. Source: British History Online
A Plan of the Church