Bell Tower - St Nicholas - Frankton, Warwickshire
Posted by: SMacB
N 52° 19.671 W 001° 22.792
30U E 610404 N 5798739
Bell tower of St Nicholas' church, Frankton, with 4 bells.
Waymark Code: WM126DK
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/10/2020
Views: 0
Bell tower of St Nicholas' church, Frankton, with 4 bells. Unringable; anti-clockwise; tuning: (approx) 2-5 of 8
Frankton, Warwickshire
S Nicholas |
Bells |
Bell |
Weight |
Nominal |
Note |
Diameter |
Dated |
Founder |
Canons |
Turning |
1 |
3¾cwt |
1158.0 |
D |
27.50" |
1636 |
Hugh II Watts |
Y |
N |
2 |
4½cwt |
1037.0 |
C |
28.50" |
1607 |
Newcombe (generic) |
Y |
N |
3 |
6cwt |
946.0 |
Bb |
32.63" |
1623 |
Hugh II Watts |
Y |
N |
4 |
8cwt |
847.0 |
Ab |
34.25" |
1616 |
Hugh II Watts |
Y |
N |
Frames |
Frame |
Bells |
Year |
Material |
Maker |
Truss |
Layout |
1 |
1,2,3,4 |
c1699† |
Oak |
(unidentified) |
5.H |
4.3 |
SOURCE - (Visit Link)
"The church of ST. NICHOLAS stands on the west side of a small churchyard, west of the village. It consists of a chancel, nave, south aisle, west tower, vestry, and south porch. The earliest part of the church is the lower stage of the tower, which dates from the early 13th century; the rest of the church was rebuilt in the 14th century, and in the 15th century the upper part of the tower was rebuilt. It is built of small roughly coursed limestone rubble with red sandstone dressings, except for the upper stage of the tower, which is red sandstone ashlar.
The tower rises in two stages, of which the lower is 13th-century and the upper 15th-century. The original tower was no doubt in three stages and when it was rebuilt in the 15th century the second stage was omitted. The lower stage has wide shallow buttresses or pilasters at each angle, a plinth consisting of a large roll-moulding at the top of a wide splay, and narrow pointed lights to the ringing-chamber on the south and west. A modern buttress has been built against the north wall and a modern door inserted in the centre with a cement pointed arch. On the south side two further modern buttresses have been added, a low one in brick and stone to the west and to the east one of three stages carried half-way up the tower. A modern traceried window of two pointed lights with a hood-mould has been inserted in the west wall, probably replacing a lancet. The upper stage has a string-course at its junction with the earlier work, an embattled parapet on a moulded string-course which has carved heads in its hollow, one at each corner with two between, and pinnacles at the angles, with trefoil panels and crocketed finials. The belfry windows on all four faces are set in deep recesses with four-centred arches, the reveals and soffits of the arches panelled with a series of trefoil-headed panels, the windows being two trefoil lights of one splayed order, but on the south face two have been put in, separated by a narrow pier. The roof is a tiled pyramid surmounted by a weather vane.
The tower arch is a modern one of two splays on the tower side and three to the nave, all dying out on the tower walls, and the chancel arch has been restored and partly rebuilt on modern bases. It is pointed, of two splayed orders.
The tower (11 ft. 8 in. by 11 ft. 4 in.) has a modern tiled floor and the window a widely splayed recess with a pointed arch."
SOURCE - (Visit Link)