St Mary’s Church has stood proudly in the centre of Moseley village for centuries, its tower visible to all. Since 1991, its bells have been rung on Sundays and on other special occasions.
In June 2009 the bell ringers and the Church agreed that, because of the deterioration of the bells, the dangerous state of their fittings, coupled with the dreadful sound they make (being made of steel rather than bell-metal), it is time to replace them with traditional bells.
As a consequence an Appeal is being launched to raise £140,000 to finance the buying and installation of ten bells. For Moseley, new traditional bells would be lighter, perfectly tuned, and would thus sound sweeter. New bells would be easier to learn on, a great improvement on the existing steel bells.
The tower at the moment contains eight steel bells, originally hung at St Marie’s, Sheffield, where they were replaced with traditional bells after only 12 years of service. The steel bells were sold to a local Moseley businessman who presented them to St Mary’s in 1874.
In 1909 the bells fell silent. The outcome of inspections carried out in 1979 and 1989 was that the bells and frame were unsafe and should be scrapped. With little prospect, at the time, of replacing the bells, bell ringers and members of the Parish decided to perform a limited restoration. The bells were rung for the first time in 82 years on Easter Sunday, 1991. Since then, a band of ringers has been formed and the bells rung regularly.
However, it has become more and more obvious that the bells need replacing. Traditionally, bells have always been cast using a copper and tin mix known as bell-metal. Casting in steel was a short lived cheap experiment as the bells were of inferior tone and rusted. Of the twenty or so complete rings of steel bells, most have since been replaced with traditional bells.
When St Mary’s bells were restored in 1991, it was only envisaged they would last for about three years.
Not only are the bells substandard, but the fittings have now deteriorated to a state well beyond repair, making the bells very difficult for ringers to handle, or for new ringers to be taught. Last year, during ringing, the tenor bell (the heaviest) fell from its frame and landed on the floor of the bell chamber! (See photograph.) It is still there, and rather than let things deteriorate further, donating the steel bells to a local museum or one near to where they were cast would be the best means of preservation.
Moseley prides itself on being a village in a great English city. What is more quintessentially English than the sound of church bells? Please help in any way you can to bring a new voice to St Mary’s.
At the heart of Moseley, St Mary’s is a magnificent building which plays a strong part in the community and for over 500 years its Tower has stood as a familiar landmark for residents, commuters and visitors.
A committed and dedicated group of bell ringers are now looking to install a peal of 10 bells here and I am delighted to be Patron of the Bell Appeal, A New Voice for St Mary’s. We look forward to your support to enable us to continue to ring out a glorious sound for all to hear and respond to.
As a member of St Mary’s Church, I began bell ringing 10 years ago. At the time I was unaware of the difficulties of learning to ring on steel bells. Subsequently however, having rung at other towers, I have realised that St Mary’s bells are heavy and awkward to ring and virtually impossible to learn on. They do not make a pleasant sound and are out of tune.
It has become increasingly obvious that they need replacing, so we have asked both the Church and the Ringers for help to launch a campaign to fund the installation of new “traditional” bells at St Mary’s.
Businesses, organisations and individuals will each have an opportunity to sponsor a bell, a unique and permanent symbol that can, for example, commemorate a long association with the area, a working partnership with the community, or the memory of a loved one.
Benefits of Sponsorship could include:
If you wish to make a donation please send a cheque made payable to “St Mary’s Bells Installation Fund” to John Fielden.
All contributions will be welcome and recorded.
| Contact | Details |
|---|---|
| General enquiries | Email: info@stmarysbells.org Website: www.stmarysbells.org. |
| Sharon Wall (Chairperson) | Tel: 0121 449 4423 Email: info@stmarysbells.org |
| John Fielden (Treasurer) | Tel: 01564 823 412, Email: treasurer@stmarysbells.org c/o: 175 Russell Road, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8RR |
| Robert Slater (Secretary) | Tel: 0121 449 7332 Email: secretary@stmarysbells.org |
| Richard Grimmett | Tel: 0121 354 8864 |
| Charles Wall | Tel: 0121 449 4423 |
St Mary’s Bells Installation Fund, Registered Charity No. 1130446.
Charitable status allows us the tax advantages of Gift Aid.
If you are a UK tax payer please Gift Aid your donation. With Gift Aid, for each £1 donated we may claim 28p from the Inland Revenue, provided you pay income tax or capital gains tax in the tax year (in the UK) at least equal to the amount we claim. Please ask John Fielden for a Gift Aid Declaration Form, or you can download one from the website, www.stmarysbells.org.