Kenilworth, SJE

St John the Evangelist 8 (+2 semitones): 9-2-4 in Ab

Grid Reference 140/293710 Kenilworth SJE. Source Kenilworth News Hub
Postcode CV8 1HY
Other Information Church Website

History

A nice church with a spire just off the A46. The tower looks like it should have a ring of bells. Unfortunately for us ringers, while it does have bells, they are only hung for chiming. The foundation stone of the church was laid in August of 1851 and it was consecrated in 1854. The cost of the building was £5,000. It is a mixture of Gothic styles and consists of a chancel, nave, south aisle, vestry, and west tower, built of red sandstone rubble with ashlar dressings. The tower, in two stages, terminates in an octagonal spire with canopied steeple lights. The roofs have a steep pitch covered with tiles.

During the building of the church a single bell, hung for ringing, was installed. It was cast by C. & G. Mears in 1852 and weighed 4-1-6. It was supplied complete with ringing fittings, including clapper, stock, ironwork, brasses and wheel at a total cost of £34 12s 4d.  In 1931 Taylors rehung this bell on ball bearings.

After World War II, the old bell was scrapped and it was replaced by a chime of ten bells, which were cast by Taylors in 1949-50. The chime was given in memory of Thomas Ball. Two additional semitones were added to the original order, hence their later casting date. The bells are an octave with a flat 2nd and flat 4th.

The bells are hung dead in a two tier steel framework, 4-8 below the rest, and sounded from a baton clavier in a room half way up the tower.

Details of the Bells

1  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  1-3-11  20.50″
2  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  2-0-14  21.50″
2b John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1950  2-1-16  22.50″
3  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  2-2-25  23.50″
4  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  3-0-19  25.50″
4b John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1950  3-3-09  27.00″
5  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  4-2-06  28.50″
6  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  5-0-06  29.88″
7  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1949  6-3-15  33.00″
8  John Taylor & Co, Loughborough  1950  9-2-04  37.00″

Inscriptions

All the bells are inscribed

JOHN TAYLOR & CO. * FOUNDERS * LOUGHBOROUGH * 1949 *
(or 1950, as appropriate)

The tenor is additionally inscribed on the waist:

THIS CHIME OF TEN BELLS
WAS PRESENTED IN MEMORY OF
THOMAS BALL
BY HIS WIFE LILIAN
AND HIS DAUGHTER DOROTHY MARY
IN MAY 1950

Photo Gallery

Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers
Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers
Kenilworth SJE Bells. Source Keith Chambers Various photographs of the chime, photographed by Keith Chambers