Bells for
A proposal for bells in our belfry.
"The pure sound of the bell
summons us into the present moment. The timeless ring of truth is expressed in
many different voices, each one magnifying and illuminating the sacred. The
clarity of its song resonates within us and calls us away from those things
which often distract us - that which was, that which might be - to That Which
Is."
Phone (503) 228-6389
Fax (503) 228-2676
Updated
Table of Contents
a Why do we need
bells?
b
What is involved?
c
What is Change Ringing?
a Expert Survey
b
Planning Structural Changes
c
Specifying the Bells
d Installation
e Costs
Part 5: Conclusions/Next Steps
This is a proposal for tower bells
at
• Having
bells is one way to deepen our presence in the
• The installation of
bells in our tower will focus the attention of the congregation on the repair
of the building in a very positive way. It can also provide a celebration of
the
• There has been a
continued interest within the congregation to have bells in the tower at
This proposal will address the requirements and assumptions for this project.
• Bringing the tower up to current seismic code requirements was done in the fall and winter of 2005. The changes where done in a way that will accommodate the installation of a ring of bells in the tower.
• The costs of the project will be outlined. The most we would need to install a ring of bells is about $145,000 in 2006.
• There are many benefits to the congregation, including the enjoyment of listening to the sweet sound of English style change ringing.
•
• The international
ringing community is strong and supportive. We can train local ringers with
their support.
The culmination of several events
makes this a very opportune time to get bells for our historic tower at
I have researched this project and will lay out
the details in this proposal. I will also state why I think this is a great
thing to do and why. The time is right. Please read on.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail.
mail to:
joel.reitz-at-comcast.net
Please manually replace the "-at-" with "@" in the mail
address.
• We need
an exciting attention getter for public relations and promotion of the
• The bells call out to the larger community to make our presence known.
• It is a popular idea that many people in the community embrace.
• Members have expressed a desire to have bells in
the only downtown
• It is a celebration.
• It is unique and special.
The seismic structural changes in the tower have
been made with the bells and the sound control in mind. The structure in
place for the strengthening of the tower is more than adequate for the load of
the bells. It should be emphasized that the changes to the tower were for
seismic safety and code reasons. The
changes were made in a way that would allow bell installation in the
future. I want to be very clear on this point. The strengthened
tower only makes any bell installation possible, where it was not possible
before. Specific changes to the tower for the bells are relatively minor in
scope and cost.
• The project involved the architect and structural engineer to the extent that these changes involved them. This has had minimal effect on their time. Areas that we have addressed:
1. Mounting plates in the walls of the tower for the bell frame, just below the large windows in the tower.
2. Hatches in the balcony ceiling to permit bell installation.
3. Ringer access for the balcony, where the ringers will ring the bells.
4. Operable windows in the tower to let the sound out. (Not done – may not be required as the floor below the louvers has been removed to allow the sound to exit through the louvers above the windows.)
5. Sound control hatches just above the bells for practice times or when the neighbors would rather not hear them.
• The project to install the bell frame, bells, and fixtures can be completed in about six months after placing the order.
• The project was
projected to cost around $145,000 in May of 2006. The cost is highly influenced by the exchange
rate with the British Pound and the current cost of steel and bronze.
There are several options for bells in a tower.
• Electronic bells with loudspeakers and plastic bells. I did not consider this because they do not sound good and, in my opinion, are worse than no bells.
• A single bell. This does not bring anything
special to the tower. It would be a "me too" in
• A carillon. This is a
collection of at least 23 bells with a keyboard for playing tunes. One
carillonneur plays many bells. The bells are struck by hammers, they do not
swing. This option requires a very large tower. The other disadvantage is that
a carillon is best suited for a quiet open area as it does not compete well
with city noises. This form of bells is a Dutch tradition. There are at least
140 carillons in
• A English style
"ring" of bells. A ring is usually 6 to 10 bells. Our tower
can accommodate 6 or 8, the most popular number. This option provides a very
sweet pleasing sound. The bells are rung by a "band" of ringers, one
for each bell. The ringers control each bell with a rope with a tuft of
colorful wool called a "sally", as shown below. The bells
swing full circle for a very full sound.
A good
introduction to change ringing.
For more information
on what is change ringing.
There are 50 "rings" presently in
For more information see the North American
Guild of Change Ringers.
Some
good pictures of bells.
A little ringing on eight
bells can be heard at this site.
We have hosted Bob Smith of Eayre and Smith Ltd.
(which became Taylors Eayre and Smith Ltd. On
Taylors Eayre and Smith Ltd. have done the
specification and installation of several bell installations in
Taylors Eayre and Smith Ltd. have completed the design of the bell frame for our tower. This was done to insure that the tower construction placed the mounting plates in the correct position and that the hatch in the balcony ceiling would accommodate the proposed bell size.
Bob Smith made a second visit on
The seismic strengthening has been adapted to accommodate the bells. The addition of several mounting plates are required to accommodate attachment of the bell frame. The structural changes for the tower include adding steel rebar and spraying concrete on the inside walls of the tower to a depth of about 6 inches. While this reduces the space available for bells, it is the best kind of strengthening for bells. The reinforced concrete has very little deflection, unlike steel which is elastic. This rigidity helps in the ringing of the bells.
The ceiling of the balcony is now a structural element, replacing the vaulted plaster ceiling. The height of the ceiling in the balcony was maximized to accommodate the ringers and ropes.
The balcony has also been changed in the project. The floor has been made flat, which will serve as the ringing room, where the ringers stand in a circle to pull the bell ropes. Access to the balcony is by the existing stair. This will meet code for access for the ringers. There is no public seating in the balcony for two reasons. Code requirements do not allow general public seating without two exits. The center arch has been filled in to provide the structure required for the tower, making seating impractical for almost all of the balcony.
There might be the need to change the existing windows in the tower to allow the sound to exit at that level as well as the louvered level above. This can be done by making a part of the existing four large windows operable. Remote operation would be preferred. This work has not been done, and may not be required.
The bells and bell frame have been specified but not ordered. The lower frame can be ordered and made locally. The upper frame, bells, and fittings have been quoted to be supplied by Taylors Eayre and Smith Ltd.
There are two bell founders for change ringing
"rings" in
I have visited both English foundries and would recommend either one. I would suggest getting bids from all three foundries. There is also the possibility of obtaining “redundant” bells from the Keltek Trust, an organization that coordinates re-use of bells from places that no longer use them. I have had our requirements listed with the Keltek Trust for several years, and no suitable ring has been available during that time. Most “redundant” rings that have become available have been too large to fit into our tower.
The proposed bells and their weights and sizes are listed in this table. The Height is an estimate and the smaller bells will be taller than indicated in the table. It is proposed that these bells be cast with Gillett & Johnston profiles for the sound characteristics that profile provides.
|
|
Note |
Weight |
Cwt |
Diameter |
Height (est.) |
|
Tenor |
Bb |
784 |
7-0-0 |
33 ¼” |
27 3/8” |
|
7 |
C |
588 |
|
30 ¼” |
25” |
|
6 |
D |
476 |
|
27 ¼” |
22 ½” |
|
5 |
Eb |
420 |
|
26 ½” |
21 ½” |
|
4 |
F |
364 |
|
24 ¾” |
19 ½” |
|
3 |
G |
336 |
3-0-0 |
23 ½” |
17 ¾” |
|
2 |
A |
308 |
|
22 ½” |
16” |
|
Treble |
Bb |
294 |
|
22” |
15 ¼” |
The bells and bell frame are usually assembled and tested at the factory. They are taken apart for transit and reassembled in the tower. The installation goes quite fast after the frame supports are installed in the tower. If the tower is not ready to accept the bells when they arrive, they can be displayed for people to see. This might be advantageous as it is difficult to see the bells in the tower. Conversely, it is difficult to hear the bells when they are on the floor.
The costs of the project was projected to be about $150,000 in May of 2008 and depends on several factors. Here is the breakdown of the costs involved. I have not factored any change in the price of bell metal since 2006.
I have assumed an exchange rate of $2.00 / Pound
|
|
|
|
Tenor weight |
7cwt ~ 800 lbs. |
|
Bells |
60,408 |
|
Fittings |
37,238 |
|
Lower Frame (local) |
1,000? |
|
Upper Frame |
21,176 |
|
Supervise Installation |
11,960 |
|
Packing Frame |
1,800 |
|
Packing Bells & Fittings, Shipping & Transport |
8,244 |
|
Insurance |
3,565 |
|
Equipment, tools, and labor for installation (local) |
5,500? |
|
TOTAL |
$150,891 |
Change ringing bells are specified
in terms of weight. The "cwt." above is "Hundredweight", an
old unit of measure that is 112 pounds. The 7cwt tenor bell would weight about
800 pounds. The total weight of all eight bells would be about 32cwt. The
bells and fittings, once installed are very low maintenance. The ropes,
included in the fittings, need to be changed when they wear out, usually only
after many years of ringing.
|
Typical payment terms for bells, frame, fittings and installation |
||
|
Start of work |
Ongoing payments over length of project |
Completion of installation |
|
20% |
10% each month for six months |
20% |
There are other costs to make the windows operable in the tower to allow the sound to exit. The cost for changes to the windows are not known, and may not be required. The sound control doors have already been installed, with minimal costs to add control cables for remote opening and closing.
The changes made to the balcony were minimal. The only necessary changes were to provide a flat floor directly beneath the bells for the ringing circle (the area where the ringers stand), and holes or "bosses" in the ceiling for the ropes which is done with a hole saw after the bell installation. A hatch, 36" square, has been installed in the balcony ceiling. The balcony ceiling is just over 10 feet high which is required for change ringing. The bells and fittings can be moved into the balcony from the street through the balcony window with a forklift.
Sound control has been installed to allow for quiet practice when the neighbors would not appreciate the ringing. This has been done in similar installations with doors over the bell chamber. It is not expensive and has been done with normal building materials. It should be stressed that we can control the volume of sound that reaches the outside with this sound control. We need to keep good relations with our neighbors and they need to know we want to be responsible. We will have no problem to keep the sound levels low, even for night time practices.
The next step is to order the bells when funds become available. Installation can occur at any time.
List of Appendices:
• Other Unitarian Church Rings
• Load and size considerations
• Diagram of bell location in tower
• Diagram of bell frame similar to what we would use (not yet available)
• Introduction to change ringing
There are several Unitarian Churches with English style change ringing:
•
• Todmorden,
• Memorial Hall,
•
• St. Peter's
Cathedral in
• The total weight of bell metal in an eight bell ring is about 4 times the weight of the tenor. New bells are about $7.50 per lb. The cost of the bells themselves is only about a third of the installation cost. To put a ring of eight into an existing tower which requires minimal alteration, multiply the weight of the tenor by $10,000.
• It might be possible to acquire a set of bells
for the cost of the metal. This is possible when a tower upgrades their ring,
especially now with "Millennium Project" funding from the
• The basic worst case rule for loads on the tower from the swinging bells is 4x the total weight downward and 2.5x the total weight to any side. Peter Trotman at Eayre & Smith thinks that the biggest size bells we could fit in the tower on one level would be a set of eight bells, the largest being 8cwt. This would make the entire ring 32cwt. Translated (1cwt = 112 pounds), that is 3,584 pounds, or a little over 1.75 tons. So the tower would have to be able to withstand an additional 3.5 tons static (with frame), 12 tons dynamic down, and 7.5 tons dynamic to the side. From the drawing of the bell frame, you will note that only four bells swing East West, with the other four swinging North South. It is also quite rare for all bells to swing together for their forces to be additive.
The bells would be placed in the first chamber above the balcony. This is the best place for both the strength and space considerations. It may seem low in the tower, but the sound from the different bells will merge together as it travels up the "sound lantern" before it is released out the windows for all to hear. If the bells were visible in the windows, the sound of the nearest bell would overcome the others and would not be balanced. This arraignment also makes it possible for movable sound control panels to be placed just above the bells to accommodate quieter practice sessions. This is the preferred arraignment for change bell ringing installations.
