Bell Tower - St Mary - Compton Abbas, Dorset - Bell Towers on Waymarking.com

Bell tower of St Mary's church, Compton Abbas.

Compton Abbas, Dorset S Mary V
Bells
Bell	Weight	Nominal	Note	Diameter	Dated	Founder	Canons	Turning
1	4-0-23	1234.0	Eb	27.88"	1873	James Barwell	Y
2	4-0-19	1108.0	Db	29.00"	1899	Thomas Blackbourn	D
3	5-2-13	1025.0	C	30.69"	2001	Whitechapel Bell Foundry Ltd	F
4	5-2-22	940.5	Bb	32.38"	c1499†	Salisbury foundry	Y
5	8-0-26	846.0	Ab	36.63"	1624†	John Dawton & Richard Tuck	Y

Frames
Frame	Bells	Year	Material	Maker	Truss	Layout
1	1,2,3,4,5	1873 [1899]	Timber	? James Barwell [Thomas Blackbourn]

SOURCE - (Visit Link)

"There has been a church in Compton Abbas since Saxon times, when this village belonged to the Abbess of Shaftesbury. Originally, the church was in East Compton, at one end of the parish (visit link) . By the mid 19th century, however, the old thatched church was in very bad repair. It was decided to replace it with a new building in a more central position, on the newly opened turnpike road – now the A350.

There is a picture of the old church in the porch. Its tower still stands in the old churchyard and can be found by turning right out of the car park and then, almost immediately, right again down Chapel Hill. It is about a quarter of a mile down the road, on the left hand side.

A considerable amount of stone from the old church was used in building the new one. The rest came from the quarry at Whitehall, on the main Shaftesbury road. The local landowner, Sir Richard Glyn, gave the land for the new church and £1,200 towards the total building cost of £2,430.

While the new church was being built, services were held in the village school and a temporary wooden bell tower was constructed ‘in order that the villagers should not be without their church bells.’

Two of those bells hang in this church today and are regularly rung before services. The oldest bell, inscribed Maria is thought to date from 1500. If it does, it must have survived the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI when many ancient church bells were seized and melted down. The second bell from the old church is inscribed Remember God ID 1624. The other three are dated 1875, 1897 (commemorating Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee) and 2002.

A window in the side chapel shows Mary hearing the news that she is to be the mother of Jesus. The background shows Compton Down, the old church tower (with the pear tree which grew on top of it for many years) and the preaching cross which stands next to it. On the Down are pale streaks commemorating the moss gatherers who rolled moss downhill, making it into balls which they sold to florists in London."

SOURCE - (visit link)

Inside the church there is a model showing a bell and fittings in a wooden frame with wooden headstock, complete with diagramatic explanitory notes.

Address of Tower: St Mary the Virgin Main Road Compton Abbas, Dorset England SP7 0NL Still Operational: yes Number of bells in tower?: 5 Relevant website?: [Web Link] Rate tower: Not listed Tours or visits allowed in tower?: Not listed

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