Whatcote

St Peter 3: 6cwt in C

Grid Reference 151/299445 Whatcote. Source: Steve Bullman
Postcode CV36 5EB
Affiliation Coventry DG
Peals None
Sunday None
Practice None

History

The church is a small building with a chancel, nave, south porch, and west tower. The nave dates from early to mid-12th century, the north doorway remaining in place, and probably two windows. Other windows are of the 13th century, when the chancel was rebuilt and the tower added: the upper part of the tower is a later 13th-century sequence, but it has been constantly repaired and altered during the subsequent centuries, as two of the bell-chamber windows, at least, are of the 15th century, as well as the parapet. There have been more modern restorations including the rebuilding of the east wall.

Despite being located in rural South Warwickshire, this church was a victim of World War II bombing, the result of a stray, surplus, bomb jettisoned by German airmen as they returned from raids over either Coventry or Birmingham; it hit the south side of the building in 1941. The south west corner of the nave, most of the south porch and the nave roof were demolished, though fortunately the tower and chancel seemed to have escaped serious injury

A ringable ring of three, the treble bell is a recast of Henry Bagley bell of 1652 and the tenor a recast of Matthew Bagley bell of 1766.

The massive oak bellframe has been altered a number of times, but does contain some fifteenth century timbers.  It originally was a three bell frame with parallel pits in which all the bells swung north to south., but at some date in the seventeenth century it was adapted to contain four bells, but he insertions of additional frame heads in the sides of the bell bit below the level of the main frame heads, allowing two bells to swing mouth to mouth in the one pit. The fourth bell was removed at some point and the existing treble bell hangs with its bearings on the added frame heads.

The fittings are from 1878 and were manufactured by William Blews & Sons of Birmingham. They consist of elm headstocks, strap gudgeons, stock hoops with adjusting screws, plain brass bearings and traditional wheels, stays and sliders. The bells all retain their canons and the second alone has been quarter turned.

One bell is rumoured to have gone to Ildicote, (25″ Henry Bagley, 1636), though the fact that that bell has the churchwardens’ names for Idlicote as part of the inscription tends to discount this.

The inscriptions are given in Tilley and Walters’ book, “The Church Bells of Warwickshire”:

Whatcote Inscriptions

Until recently these bells were rung from the ground floor

The church is near the village centre – down Church Lane.

Details of the Bells

1 William Blews, Birmingham  1878  3¾cwt  25.00″  1380.5Hz (F-20c)
2 John Clark, Evesham        1711  4½cwt  27.25″  1215.5Hz (Eb-41c)
3 Henry Bond, Burford        1897  6cwt   31.25″  1065.0Hz (C+30c)

Photo Gallery

Whatcote East. Source: A MacRae Thomson Whatcote East. Source: A MacRae Thomson Whatcote WWII. Source: A MacRae Thomson
The Church – Looking East The Church – Looking West Photographs in the church of the damage caused in WWII