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The Tenor Bell

January - Dad

A large bell hung for full circle ringing in Minchinhampton church tower.
Recently I was asked to talk to the local Mothers Union about bell-ringing and took some photos inside the belfry at Minchinhampton church for the presentation. This photo is of the tenor bell which was cast in 1825 and is the heaviest bell there at approx 600kg. Notice the large wheel with the bell-rope attached; this allows the bell to be swung through 360 degrees and controlled in timing to within 0.05 seconds, despite its weight and turning momentum. This is unique to English-style bellringing, prevalent mainly in the UK plus a few towers in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada and South Africa.
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