Bell Tower - Church of St Mary, Grundisburgh Road, Clopton, Suffolk. IP13 6QB - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

This is an early C14th and C15th Grade II* listed building with additions and alterations of c.1883 to the design of Herbert J.Green in the Decorated style. Built in flint rubble with ashlar dressings and a slate and plaintile roof and consisting of a nave, chancel, south western porch-tower and north-eastern organ chamber/vestry. The tower, one of the largest of some 22 south porch-towers in Suffolk, is built onto the south-west of the nave and is also the main doorway into the church. It from here that the six bells in the tower are rung. There are diagonal buttresses which die back into the corners by four offsets. The central porch arch has a triple chamfer to its sides, the inner two chamfers developing into ogee and cavetto moulds. There is an ashlar band below the level of the first stage rectangular window which has a double-chamfered ashlar surround. A further band is at the sill level of the belfry opening which is of two lights with cinquefoil heads and with Perpendicular tracery above. The string course, with central gargoyle, below the parapet is battlemented and has an ashlar coping. The east and west faces have no doorway but are otherwise similar to the south face save for angle buttresses at right and left. The north face adjoins the nave to the lower body but has a similar belfry opening.

The six bells are rung for Divine Service, weddings and other festal occasions, the ringing chamber being on the first floor of the tower which also has the main entrance door to the church on the ground floor.

Following is a table extracted from Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers showing the weights in kg, and sounding note of the bells.

              Bell    Weight     Note       Casting date         Founder
                1     4-0-24 	  D# 	       1788 	   William & Thomas Mears
                2     5-0-9 	  C# 	       1788 	   William & Thomas Mears
                3     6-2-14 	  B 	       1880 	   Moore, Holmes & Mackenzie
                4     6-2-21 	  A# 	       1788 	   William & Thomas Mears
                5     8-0-1 	  G# 	       1788 	   William & Thomas Mears
                6     11-3-19     F# 	       1788 	   William & Thomas Mears

William & Thomas Mears were two of the founders at the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry which had been started by Robert Chamberlain in 1420. They were casting bells in London together from 1787 until 1791.

Moore, Holmes & Mackenzie cast bells in Redenhall, Norfolk from 1879 until 1885 and must have been contracted to cast a replacement for the third of the original ring of six.

The given co-ordinates are for the south porch.

Address of Tower: Church of St Mary Grundisburgh Road Clopton, Suffolk UK IP13 6QB Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 6 Rate tower: Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Yes Relevant website?: Not listed

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