This was recorded during normal Sunday ringing at Sturry, albeit during the period of national mourning following the death of Queen Elizabeth II back in September of 2022. The bells were fully muffled, with the tenor open at one stroke.
The Church of St Nicholas in Sturry is an unusual church in the fact that is it a shared jointly by the Anglican Communion and the Methodist Church. The building itself is a Norman structure, with later additions. The chancel and nave date from the 11th century, with the tower partly from the 12th century and also the 15th century - the reason being, half of the tower collapsed and had to be rebuilt, hence the oblong shape of the ringing chamber. Until the 1810s, there was a shingled broach spire that capped the tower. This was either destroyed in a storm or removed.
The tower holds a ring of six bells with a tenor weighing 9-3-7cwt and ringing out the note of G. They were rehung and retuned in 1993 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in a new steel frame. The treble was cast in 1904 by Mears and Stainbank, bells 2, 4 and 5 were cast in 1622 by Joseph Hatch, the third was cast in 1802 by Thomas I Mears, and the tenor was cast in 1856 by Charles and George Mears. Overall, they are easy to ring and form a lovely, melodious ring of six.
3 окт 2024
