Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers- Stoke Mandeville

Established January 17 1881

St. Mary the Virgin, Stoke Mandeville, Bucks
Chiltern branch of the ODG

St. Mary the Virgin, Stoke Mandeville©PB 5 Apr 2004

Dedication: St. Mary the Virgin, Stoke Mandeville

Service Ringing: Most Sundays, 8.30

Practice night: Tue 7.30pm

Availability and Restrictions: On application, minimum of 1 week‘s notice

The Bells (8) 8-1-10 - last refurbished 1992 by Berry of Malvern

Draught: short
Audibility: 3 - (On a scale of 1 to 5, 1=faint 5=very loud)

Access to ringing chamber: 1st floor, access by steep iron staircase and trap door.

According to The Ringing World (Bell News), 19 May 1911, page 111, in 1910 the old treble of five was recast, a new treble added to make six and all rehung in a new iron frame by James Barwell of Birmingham.

The Bells were last refurbished in 1992, by A.C.Berry of Malvern, Worcs. The work comprised mostly woodwork, bell wheels, pulleys and stays, with a few missing nuts and bolts. All bells are on roller-bearings.

Frame: two-tier, 1 and 2 above. Back six hang in iron H-frame by Barwell.
Gear: Barwell iron headstocks on back four, Mears & Stainbank fittings on front four.

A ring of 8 bells; tenor 8-1-10, tuned to A^b

Bell	Weight cwt-qr-lb	Diameter (inches)	Strike Note	Date cast	Founder	Foundry location	Inscription
treble	3-1-4	23¾	A^b	1929	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	GOD IS LOVE
2	3-1-14	23¾	G	1929	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	JESUS IS LORD
3	3-2-10	25¾	F	1945	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	IN EXCELSIS GLORIA
4	3-3-0#	26¾	E^b	1910	James Barwell	Birmingham	HONOUR GOD
5	4-3-2	29¼	D^b	1929	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	PRAYES THE LORD I633
6	5-0-0#	31¼	C	1913	James Barwell	Birmingham	ST. MARY THE VIRGIN
7	7-0-0#	33	B^b	1910	James Barwell	Birmingham	TE DEUM LAUDAMUS
Tenor	8-1-10	36	A^b	1952	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	none

Notes:

History

In 1886 the five old bells and most of the frame were moved from the old church. They were hung left handed in two tiers because of the design of the tower. The 3 smaller bells were in the upper tower with the others a long way below with a floor in between. Access to the ringing chamber was by a ladder in the porch.
In 1910 a further bell, the third of the current ring, was added. This caused the roof to sway during ringing.
The roof was dismantled, the tower reconstructed, the third recast and two more bells added in 1928.

The table below shows details of the older bells before recasting in 1929, using the bell numbers of the current ring. The older inscriptions are copied from A.H.Cocks The Church Bells of Buckinghamshire, 1897.

Bell	Weight cwt-qr-lb	Diameter (inches)	Strike Note	Date cast	Founder	Foundry location	Inscription
3	?		F	1910	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	IN EXCELSIS GLORIA
4	?	27½	E^b	1633	Ellis Knight I	Reading	HONAR GOD I633
5	?	29	D^b	1633	Ellis Knight I	Reading	PRAYES THE LORD I633
6	?	32¼	C	1730	Edward Hall	Drayton Parslow	EDWARD HALL MADE ME 1730 WI FORD IO SMITH C W
7	?	34	B^b	1659	Henry Knight II & Ellis Knight II	Reading	X659
Tenor	?	37½	A^b	1636	Ellis Knight I	Reading	PRAYES THE LORD I636

Notes:

The ‘S’ is imprinted backwards in the inscription on bell 6

Points of interest in church:

Most fittings are from the old Norman church built in another, less accessible part of the village and abandoned earlier in the 19th century. The Brudenell monument is to commemorate a local land owning family in the time of the first Queen Elizabeth. The ornate font is 15th Century. The foundation stone of the ‘new‘ church was laid in 1865 by Samuel Wilberforce, son of William Wilberforce. The cost of the entire project was £1,300. The new church was consecrated on 9th July 1886.

Church facilities: Toilet toilet

Travel Details: OS Grid Ref: SP834104

Public Transport: Chiltern Railways, Stoke Mandeville Station 5 minutes walk

Eating Places:

The Bell Public House, Lower Road: basic pub food.
The Woolpack, Risborough Road: thatched building, cool modern decor. Pasta, pizza, grills.
Bucks Goat Farm, Risborough Road: cafe selling snacks and light meals.

Local points of interest for non ringers:

Bucks Goat Farm, Risborough Road: animals, gift shop, cafe, excellent art gallery. Within walking distance.
Ruins of old church, Risborough Road: footpath off. Surfaced to start off but then becomes heavily overgrown. Within walking distance.
Chiltern Brewery, Nash Lee Road, Terrick: Original Ales, English Wines, speciality foods, gifts. 5 minutes drive but well worth a visit.

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