SITTINGBOURNE, Sacred Heart (RC) |
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DETAILS OF THE BELLS |
Bell
Weight
(Before & after retuning)Diam.
Pitch
(Before & after)Cast
Founder
Formerly
1
0-2-12
14
5/8"E
2000
Whitechapel
2
0-2-21
0-2-18½
14
7/8"D
D#
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
Treble
3
?
0-2-16
16
3/4"B
C#
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
Flat 2nd
4
1-0-0
0-3-18
17
1/4"A#
B
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
3rd
5
?
1-1-12
19
5/8"G#
A
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
Flat 4th
6
1-3-12
1-2-24
20
1/2"G
G#
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
5th
7
2-2-5
2-1-18
23
1/8"F
F#
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
Tenor
8
3-0-27
25
3/8"E
2000
Whitechapel
A 0-2-25
15
1/8"C
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
2nd
B 1-1-21
19"
A
1905
Felix van Aerschodt
4th
INSCRIPTIONS |
To be added
PITCHES OF THE BELLS (prior to retuning) |
| Bell | Pitch |
| 1 | D + 0.3 |
| 2 | C + 0.12 |
| Flat 2 | B |
| 3 | B flat + 0.27 |
| 4 | A + 0.23 |
| Flat 4 | A flat |
| 5 | G + 0.47 |
| 6 | F + 0.18 |
| These are figures provided by Bill Hughes shortly after the delivery of the bells to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 1983. The naturals are all well sharp; the 3rd and 4th by a quarter of a tone and the 5th by nearly a half, making the option of sharpening them to make them the middle six much easier. |
PHOTOGRAPHS |
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Two pictures of the diatonic
six lying on the floor in the yard of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry.
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The remodelled chime are restored to the tower (2000), seen here with the Parish Priest. The 2 new Whitechapel bells can be clearly seen. |
HISTORY |
| 1905 | A chime of 8 bells were cast forming a diatonic 6th with a flat 2nd and flat 4th by Felix van Aerschodt of Louvain, Belgium. They were acquired by Fr O'Sullivan to play a special melody composed by the Mother Superior of the local convent. | |
| c. 1925 | The apparatus for chiming the bells was replaced by an Ellacombe-type chiming manual situated on the gallery connected to the existing overhead drop hammers and transmission. | |
| 1983 | 27th May | The diatonic bells were taken down to the Whitechapel Bell Foundry as part of a restoration programme. Funds ran out and the bells lay in the foundry yard for years. |
| 1983 | 12th July | The (then) two semitone bells (A flat and B) were restored by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and rehung for chiming by the Kent C.A. and were dedicated with the names Eugene and Anselm by Bishop John Jukes, Auxiliary for Kent. Further work was suspended following Fr Dunn's transfer on Diocesan work. |
| 2000 | Following renewed interest and the availability of funds, the restoration programme was completed. The remaining 2 bells were removed from the tower. 2 new bells were cast at Whitechapel to form the treble and tenor of a new diatonic chime of 8. The bells were rehung in the tower (21st Oct) together with the remaining 2 bells (which are used as service bells). |
