St. Matthew, Harwell

Architecture

The original roof trusses in the nave date from 1220. ©KMC 23 Apr 2004 The six supports and braces below the main tie beams were installed at a later date, possibly when repairs were made in 1867.

The Harwell window and carvings

The Harewell Window ©KMC 23 Apr 2004 This window was restored in 1981 with donations from the descendents of John de Harewell (1320-1386). Over 500 descendants of the Harewell brothers who sailed to Virginia in 1636 were traced all over the United States of America. See References below for The Harwell Trail.

Carvings in the church ©KMC 23 Apr 2004

Wall hangings of 1985

The Wild Rose tapestry on N wall of nave. ©KMC 23 Apr 2004. mainly designed by Jo Roberts.

In both, the surrounding tapestry design shows examples of the fruit, wildlife and flowers found in and around the village of Harwell. At the top are the hares from which the village name is derived. The shields, starting at the top right hand corner and going clockwise, are those of Piers Gaveston, the Black Prince, John de Harwell and the Loder family. the central cross shows the cherries for which Harwell is famous. The Wild Rose tapestry (left) The picture panels, worked in applique, show (from the top) AERE Harwell with glider being taken up into the sky and general farmland scenery in the opposite panel (please note Halley’s comet). Coming down the left hand side, the panels show the pig roast at the Harwell Feast (held annually on August Bank Holiday), the horse fair and ladies picking strawberries. The right hand side shows a float at the feast and a cherry picker.

The gatekeeper tapestry on S wall. ©KMC 23 Apr 2004. mainly designed by Michele Andersson

The gatekeeper tapestry This central cross shows the cherries for which Harwell is famous, together with St. Mary, to whom the church was once dedicated and St. Matthew to whom it is dedicated today. The picture panels, worked in applique, show (from the top) the ring of 8 bells, made up of the 2 new trebles added in 1932 and the original six, thought to be the oldest ring of six in the country still being rung today. Then in the centre is the Bishop of Winchester whose signature appears on the Charter. Below him is the Black Prince because Harwell was once part of his estates. On the left hand side is part of a scroll with a few words of the charter embroidered on it. The map on the right hand side symbolises the Pilgrims from the village, John Foulk Harewell and his brother who sailed across to America as colonists in 1636. The great fire of Harwell in 1852 is shown at the bottom of the panels. Fire was a frequent hazard in these villages with thatched roofs. Most of the houses in main street were destroyed.

The Clocks

©KMC 23 Apr 2004 The two clock faces on the West side of the tower. The “old” clock is lower and on the left, it dates from 1703. The “new” clock is higher up on the right it dates from 1949.

Most of the information in this section comes from an article: “Two Clocks in One Church Tower” by T.R.Robinson published in the Horological Journal in July 1955, page 459. The old clock face is lower in the tower and has a square dial, made up of wooden planking, set in a beaded frame and protected along its upper edges by leading. The design of the single hand shows traces of the designs used on earlier astronomical clocks; its tail end has the crescent ornamentation that seems to be a survival of the “moon” indication on such clocks as those in Wells and Exeter. The dial is lower in the tower because it had to be linked directly to the clock movement which was mounted on the wall of the ringing chamber just above the window of the middle stage of the tower. The old clock dates from 1703. The modern (upper) face belongs to a clock which was given by H. Stuart-Baker to commemorate Valentine Baker, Pilot Officer, R.A.F. killed in action 1943.

The “new” clock of 1949

©KMC 1 Jun 2002 The tenor rope is in the foreground. The clock hammer is nearby, it should be pulled off before ringing up the tenor.

The image on the left shows the tower captain, Doug Jordan, who was explaining how bells were rung to a visitor on the occasion of a “Tower Open Day” in celebration of the Queen”s Golden Jubilee in June 2002. Doug had been ringing at Harwell for 65 years. The small blue painted box at about waist level contains the “new” clock, a compact design made by John Smith and sons of Derby in 1949, see manufacturer”s plate in the image below. The clock is auto-wound by electricity; it drives up a floor to the belfry stage of the tower, then out to the new two handed dial. It is of unit construction, the timepiece unit is an unusually simple train and a Graham dead-beat escapement. The pendulum, which beats seconds, has an invar rod and a cylindrical bob.

The striking unit is made up of a motor and a totally enclosed reduction gear, the final spindle of which rotates a small cam which in turn operates the hammer lifting lever. The striking is controlled by a pin-type count wheel which is stepped forward at each blow of the hour and and turns off the motor control switch after the correct number of hours have been sounded.

The plaque on the right is on the western wall of the nave,
inscribed:

The Clock has been placed in the Tower by his Parents in Memory of VALENTINE BAKER Pilot Officer RAF Pathfinder Force aged 20 years and of the members of his Crew who gave their lives with him in Battle on the night of August 10/11 1943. O VALIANT HEARTS

The “old” clock of 1703

©Tony Marshall 16 Dec 2005 The brass plate engraved with names of its donor and maker and the date. It was written in Latin, the English translation is: Given by John Knapp of Harwell in the County of Berks in 1703 made by Jo Reynolds of Hagbourne

©KMC 26 Sep 2005 The clock is now stored in the vestry protected by a toughened glass frame.

The old clock mechanism was moved down from its original position high up on the wall of the ringing chamber to the vestry where it can be seen more easily. The movement is of the “bird cage” form. The frame is made up of forged iron bars, partly wedged and partly secured by nuts. The two trains are arranged side by side. The wooden barrels seem to have always been wound by the large forged key kept beside the clock. The original weights are the roughly shaped large stones under the table. The going train consists of 3 wheels and 2 pinions. The escapement is a recoil which seems to be an original design by Jo Reynolds the Hagbourne blacksmith at the time. The pendulum is also preserved in the box, it has a thin rod and lenticular lead bob. In use it was hung from the forged iron bracket attached to the rear of the frame. The striking train is controlled by a locking plate. The locking is by a gapped flange, attached to the side of the appropriate train wheel. The warning pin is mounted on the fly arbor. The large pins which lift the hammer lever are on the main wheel. They have little wear which is surprising considering the clock was used for almost 250 years. The mechanism was moved down from the ringing chamber by the Harwell Apprentices, who also made the new wooden face stored with the clock in the vestry.

The Bells

In 1932 Messrs Taylor of Loughborough installed a new cast-iron side pattern frame.
Gear: cast-iron headstocks, fixed steel gudgeons, self-aligning ball-bearings Hastings stays, traditional wheels. In 1932 all the canons were removed and with a little extra metal cast into 2 new trebles. Since 1932 there have been 8 bells and a Sanctus bell.

1. in the inscriptions [M] means the Founders Mark of Taylors, &Copy; is the impression of a coin
2. on the 4th, the 9 in the date 1590 is reversed it looks more like a p with a sloping tail.
3. The inscriptions below come from F. Sharpe The Church Bells of Berkshire.

Inscription on bell 3 by William Yare of Reading. (Figure 78).



Inscription on bell 7 by Joseph Carter of Reading. (Figure 79).

William Yare’s initials and crest on the Tenor. (Figure 83).

Augmentation and restoration of 1932

The Bells as they came out 29 April 1932, a photograph which hangs in the ringing chamber in 2006. Left to right: J.Martin, R.Slade, J.E.Pryor (church wardens), Rev J.C.Cohen (vicar), Dr R.Rice (church warden) for many years the Harwell G.P., W.Hitchman (clerk) and Mr. Dexter from Taylors.

1st peal on augmented bells, a photograph which hangs in the ringing chamber in 2006 Ringers of the first peal on the eight bells in 1932 back row G.C.Rice, W. Hibbert, R.G.Rice front row J.S.Napper, Mrs A.E.Lock, R.T.Hibbert, A.E.Lock, W.Corderoy The Oxford Diocesan Guild September 17th 1932, in 2 hours and 50 minutes A peal of 5,040 Stedman Triples. Thurston's Four Part. William Hibbert Treble    Richard G.Rice 5 Richard T. Hibbert 2    Geoffrey C. Rice 6 Mrs Albert E. Lock 3    James S. Napper 7 Albert E. Lock 4    William Corderoy Tenor Conducted by Richard T. Hibbert

The Belfry

Harwell bells in the belfry

©KMC 1 Jun 2002 The wheels of the Tenor and Treble are on the right, the Seventh is at the back and the Fifth and Fourth are at the bottom left. Notice the 'dingler' on the end of the "Hastings" type stays, which were installed in 1932.

©KMC 19 June 2003 When the bell rotates the 'dingler' slides in a specially shaped metal piece like that shown above.

William Yare founder mark on the Fifth (1611).
©KMC 1 Jun 2002


Date on the oldest bell in Harwell ©KMC 1 Jun 2002

1. Harwell Village for a thousand years published 1985 by Harwell Parish Council. ISBN 0 9510668 0 3
2. St. Matthews Harwell, booklet from the church purchased in 2004
3. The Harwell Trail, John Fletcher and Jan Whittaker, pub J.M.Fletcher, Sutton Courtenay, OX14 4BD in 1981
4. The Cherry Barn memoirs of Gordon Bosley transcribed by Kathleen Philip, published by the author, 22 Belmont, Wantage 1974
5. Two Clocks in One Church Tower by T.R.Robinson published in the Horological Journal" in July 1955 page 459