Towers and Belfries

Main objects of the sub-committee’s work

  • The committee’s volunteers provide advice to towers within the Oxford Diocese on their bell installations and associated matters. This includes:
    1. routine maintenance
    2. minor restoration
    3. rehanging
    4. safety matters
    5. helping to find volunteer assistance for belfry works
  • To contact the committee, please email the Chairman or Secretary.
  • To provide advice to the Oxford Diocesan Bell Fund  trustees regarding requests for grants from the Bell Fund.
  • After completion of work, to advise the the Bell Fund trustees if the work has been correctly carried out and recommend whether the grant should be paid.
  • To run training courses to provide towers and ringers with self-help information on all aspects of tower and rope maintenance and the potential for minor improvements. We normally aim to hold three or four courses a year at locations across the Diocese (Oxon, Berks & Bucks). We welcome offers of venues for courses. We also assist Branches to run their own local courses. Topics include:
    • Rope splicing and rope management
      •  
    • Introduction to towers & belfries and the common components and issues: wheels, clappers, pulleys, rope bosses, rope guides, bearings, headstocks etc
    • Detailed belfry courses with hands-on experience up the tower
    • 2018 ODG Towers & Belfries Course – YouTube
  • To run the Tower Maintenance Award scheme in the Diocese of Oxford and award certificates. The TMA check sheet is at TMA Marking Sheet Rev 8a and the current list of awards is at Odd Bob report (TMA) – October 2020
  • To act as the focus for the exchange of information on redundant bells between the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers, the Guild and other Associations & organisations.
  • The sub-committee is producing a series of technical notes to help steeple keepers, which can be downloaded from here:

HELPFUL DOCUMENTS

Emergency Lighting

Risk Assessment

Correcting Oddstruckness

Clapper Bush Wear

Friendly Rope End Drier

ODG Sound Control Booklet

 

 

INTERESTING MAINTENANCE VIDEOS

ROPE SPLICING

Rope splicing video

 

  • Rope splicing picture
  • Rope splicing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb-6YwA2e2Y
  • In addition to the links above, there is excellent material available via these links (more to be added by February 2021)