St.James' Church Tower, Church Street, Brassington, Derbyshire. DE4 4HJ
Posted by: 
greysman
N 53° 05.135 W 001° 39.454
30U E 589910 N 5882633
This church tower has a ring of six bells of about 100 years old except for the 5th which is 270.
Waymark Code: WMQPTE
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/14/2016
Views: 2
This Grade II* listed church is of late C12th build, altered in the C14th and a north aisle added in c1895. It has the standard west tower to the central aisle, and partial aisles to the chancel built of squared coursed limestone with gritstone dressings. The roofs are slate with decorative ridge tiles.
The Norman Tower has been heavily restored and had angle buttresses. There is a C19th plate tracery window in the former Norman doorcase on the west wall and above it a two-light window. There are round-headed twin bell openings on all sides of tower and an embattled parapet above a decorated stringcourse.
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
1 155.58 F# 1913 John Taylor & Co
2 167.83 E 1911 John Taylor & Co
3 187.33 D 1911 John Taylor & Co
4 217.27 C# 1911 John Taylor & Co
5 251.74 B 1743 Thomas I Hedderly
6 418.21 A 1911 John Taylor & Co
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.
Thomas Hedderly I was the founder at the Nottingham Foundry from 1741 until 1748. He took over as founder there from George Oldfield III and also had help in his early years from his father, Daniel Hedderly who had cast bells in other places in the Midlands from 1703. The Nottingham Foundry started in 1370 and cast its last bell in 1821.