Bell
Thomas Mears II
Category
Fixtures and fittings
Date
Unknown
Materials
Cast iron, Bronze
Measurements
280 mm (Diameter); 14.5 kg (weight)
Place of origin
Whitechapel
Order this imageCollection
Snowshill Manor and Garden, Gloucestershire
NT 1335288
Summary
Bell - above St George. This bell hangs under a tiled canopy on the south wall of The Cottage, immediately above the statue of St.George. The statue was commissioned by Wade in the 1920s and it has recently been conserved and repainted. It is often stated that the bell was once connected to a clock and struck by a hammer operated by St.George – an impression given by the wire leading to the hammer being connected to the right arm of the statue and the fact that the arm is able to move. Examination revealed that the hammer is purely ornamental and that the bell is not – and seems never to have been – connected to a clock. Details of the bell are as follows: Inscription: 1830 Founder and date: The 1830 date figures seem to match those used on bells cast by Thomas Mears II of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London (fl.1810-1844) Mouldings: 1:1-2:2:1 Canons and argent: Single canons and argent only Frequency / note: Nominal 2886Hz (F# minus 43 cents) Approximate weight: 14.5kg (32 lbs) Provenance: Not known Fittings: The bell is hung for swing chiming with traditional fittings including a timber headstock with “strap” gudgeons and a solid wooden wheel. The bell swings on simple sockets in the horizontal beams projecting from the wall. The hook-over clapper is suspended from the cast-in crown staple. The wheel is grooved for the rope and there is a pulley on the wall behind the bell with a hole in the masonry through which the rope passed into the cottage for the ringer. The bell is secured to its stock by two pairs of straps. In addition there is a light chiming hammer below the bell, linked to the right hand of St.George by a piece of wire. This was never operative. Painted 'Wade blue' .
Provenance
Given to the National Trust with Snowshill Manor in 1951 by Charles Paget Wade.
Makers and roles
Thomas Mears II, bell founder