St.Peter's Church Tower, Church Lane, Alstonefield, Derbyshire.
Posted by: 
greysman
N 53° 05.706 W 001° 48.198
30U E 580132 N 5883518
This church tower has a ring of six bells of mixed age and a clock bell over 300 years old.
Waymark Code: WMQNJW
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/08/2016
Views: 3
The oldest parts of this church are C12th, it was partly rebuilt in the C13th and C14th then extended and repaired in the C16th. Again refurbished in the C17th, re-roofed in the C18th and finally restored in 1870. It is now Grade I listed.
Built of coursed limestone rubble and sandstone ashlar with slate roofs it has a three-bay chancel, a four-bay nave, north and south aisles, a west tower with six bells.
The west tower is late C16th, of four stages with angle buttresses to north-west and south-west, the other two butresses are square. The west door-way has a deeply hollowed recess hood mould stopped with figures and spandrels decorated with shields and foliage, the west door is iron studded. Above this is a four-centred window of three cinquefoiled lights, in the third stage a window to the west has a trefoiled ogee arch beneath a square head. Above the belfry string are belfry openings with Y-tracery, the crenellated parapet is above another string course and the corners have crocketed finials.
The bells are of mixed age ranging from the 4 and 5 cast by George I Oldfield in 1677, the clock bell cast in 1680 by William Noone, three Thomas II Mears bells, no.s 2, 3 and 6 were cast in 1815, and the then ringing five bells augmented to six in 1930 with a bell cast by John Taylor & Co.
The following table is taken from Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers with amendments to the weights, now in metric units.
Bell Weight Note Casting Date Founder
1 307.5 E 1930 John Taylor & Co
2 313.9 D 1815 Thomas Mears II
3 341.1 C 1815 Thomas Mears II
4 341.1 B 1677 George Oldfield I
5 466.3 A 1677† George Oldfield I
6 550.7 G 1815 Thomas Mears II
Clock 533.9 F# 1680 thought to be cast by
William Noone
George Oldfield I was casting bells in Nottingham from 1620 until 1678. The Nottingham foundry was started in 1370 and George was the sixth know founder in charge there. He succeeded his father, Henry II, and was succeeded by William Noone, thought to be the caster of the Clock bell. The foundry continued until 1821.
Thomas Mears II was a founder in charge of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, still running as a foundry today. It was founded in 1420 by Robert Chamberlain and Thomas II was the 29th founder in charge from 1805. He was the son of Thomas I Mears and father of George and Charles who succeeded him in 1844.
John Taylor & Son was the foundry at Loughborough from 1849 until 1977, run by a succession of Taylors in the premises started in 1735 by Joseph Eayre. It is still casting bells today, both tower and hand bells for clients the world over.