Another hot fine day greeted our intrepid volunteers as they gathered in the belfry for today’s (Wednesday) tasks. The first thing was to lift the tower door off its hinges. A roadway of boarding was laid across the churchyard and bell 5 was pushed on a pallet truck from the tower door as far as manpower could cope until it was dropped onto bearers and parked.
The next task was to reposition the tenor, bell 6, (largest 14cwt, 711kg bell) over the trapdoor holes. As it was lowered people were stationed to guide it through the openings in the two floors so that its lip didn’t damage the timbers. This was completed by 11am.
The next stage, getting it through the tower door, was likely to be today’s biggest risk of delay. However, by clearing a little more masonry along the track of the lip scratched into the wall when it went in during 1932, the job was done by noon. It was necessary to pull it out on the pallet truck taking several lowerings onto bearers for constant repositioning of the bell at a slight angle so the lip just cleared each side of the slots cut in the doorway. Before raising the truck again. This involved manually passing the pallet truck over the bell from inside to outside!
This earned a lunch break during which the specialist eight-wheeler arrived to hoist and take the bells away. With very skilful manipulation, the lorry’s crane pulled the bells one at a time along the boardway and lifted them carefully onto the vehicle. The last bell paid a visit to next-door neighbours Sue and Neil Berry’s front drive for a family photo! This last bell was bell 3 from which the headstock had been removed so that it can be dropped off first at Soundweld for repairs, before joining the other five again in the Bridport workshops. By 2.45pm the bells were strapped down and the lorry made an elegant departure backwards down Church Hill!
Despite the anti-climax after the departure, the volunteers were quickly rounded up into the next tasks which involved replacing a displaced bell frame member and then bringing down all the bell wheels, clappers, stay dingle guides, ladders, chain hoists and strops, then refitting the tower door and loading everything into the bellhanger’s van. All done by 6pm – grateful thanks to Neil and especially the volunteers – Anne, Martin, Pete and Steve.
On Thursday Neil will uncover the corrosion in one of the main beams.