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It can be said that Kettering were not a good twelve. They had been over the years worked on by a
variety of founders and hangers and could certainly be classed as a mixed bag.
Internally, they were also disappointing. The four trebles were hung in a separate frame above the back eight which made hearing them difficult and sometimes impossible. This combined with the tower movement made them a challenge to ring.
The project was formed when the 10th became cracked (when it was broken up for recasting, it was found to be porous) The aim was to recast all 12 bells into a new ring and rehang them in a new frame all on one level slightly lower in the tower.
All this was not going to come cheap and an appeal was launched to raise the £120,000 necessary to complete the job.
In the end not all the old bells ended up in the pot. The front eight were sold to the Keltek Trust who have now found homes for a number of them. Details of these can be found on their web site. The old 11th cast in the town by Thomas Eayre was also retained and is now hung back in the tower.
The new ring certainly sound and go much better than the old ring and are a big improvement. Lets hope they are rung and enjoyed for many years to come.
Details of Old Bells
| Treble |
John Taylor & Co |
1980 |
3-2-27 |
| Second |
John Taylor & Co |
1980 |
4-0-2 |
| Third |
Gillett & Johnson |
1921 |
4-3-16 |
| Fourth |
Gillett & Johnson |
1921 |
5-3-0 |
| Fifth |
R Sanders |
1714 |
5-1-26 |
| Sixth |
R Sanders |
1714 |
6-0-20 |
| Seventh |
John Taylor & Co |
1890 |
6-3-19 |
| Eighth |
John Taylor & Co |
1925 |
8-1-3 |
| Ninth |
T Norris II |
1630 |
8-2-24 |
| Tenth |
John Taylor & Co |
1980 |
12-1-16 |
| Eleventh |
Thomas Eayre |
1722 |
14-0-6 |
| Tenor |
W & J Taylor |
1832 |
23-0-10 |
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