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St Andrew's is unique in having two sets of bells hung for change
ringing.
West
Tower
The
older set of five bells are hung in the West Tower which dates
from about 1350.These bells, tuned in the key of A, were cast
in 1711 by Joseph Smith of Edgbaston. They are hung in a frame
which dates from about 1620. In 1929 they were rehung by John
Taylor and Co. of Loughborough.
North
East Tower
The North East Tower was built in 1895 as the final
stage of the rebuilding of the church by William Butterfield.
It contains 8 bells tuned in the key of D and cast by Mears and
Stainbank of the Whitechapel Foundry. In 1955 they were lowered
by 17 feet as there was movement in the tower, and in 1992 they
were rehung to make ringing easier.
Today
our bells sound out across the town, calling people to worship,
marking weddings and funerals and celebrating important occasions
in the life of the town. They were rung when the victorious England
Rugby World Cup squad visited the town to receive the Freedom
of the Borough in 2004.
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