Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers- Farnborough

Established January 17 1881

All Saints, Farnborough, Berks
Newbury branch of the ODG

All Saints, Farnborough
There are always donkeys in the field. The stump of an old preaching cross is just visible to the right of the picture.

Dedication: All Saints, Farnborough

Service Ringing: By arrangement

Practice night: By arrangement

The Bells (5) 8-0-0#

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

Access to ringing chamber: Ground floor

The following information comes from F.Sharpe The Church Bells of Berkshire. He last visited the tower in 1940.

Frame: Oak with pits for 6, R. White.
Gear: Elm headstocks, Plate gudgeons, Self-aligning ball-bearings(1), Plain brass bearings(2-5), Traditional English-type wheels, Traditional stays, by R White.

A ring of 5, tenor 8-0-0#, diameter 35¾" tuned to A

Bell	Weight cwt-qr-lb	Strike Note	Date cast	Founder	Foundry location	Inscription
Treble	4-1-17	E	1937	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	THIS FIFTH BELL WAS ADDED BY MRS. PUXLEY IN LOVING MEMORY OF HER FATHER & MOTHER, MR. & MRS. PHILIP WROUGHTON OF WOOLLEY PARK. 1937. MEARS & STAINBANK, FOUNDERS, LONDON. [M]
2	4-2-23	D	1927	Mears & Stainbank	Whitechapel	MEARS & STAINBANK, FOUNDERS, LONDON. 1927. [M] I TO THE CHURCH THE LIVING CALL AND TO THE GRAVE DO SUMMON ALL
3	5-1-0#	C^#	c.1400	Wokingham foundry	Wokingham	[Cross F4] Sancte Clemens Or [Lion’s head F2] ©
4	6-2-0#	B	1753	Edward Read	Aldbourne	EDWARD READ 1753
Tenor	8-0-0#	A	1400*	Wokingham foundry	Wokingham	[Cross F4] Sancta Anna Ora Pro Nobis [Lion’s head F2] ©

Notes:

[M] is the Whitechapel Founder’s mark
©: an embedded coin.
The inscriptions on the Wokingham bells are in gothic script with crowns over the capital letters. The reproductions below are copied from F.Sharpe The Church Bells of Berkshire.

Part of the inscription on the Third. (Sharpe figure 71).

inscription 4

Inscription on the Fourth. (Sharpe figure 70).
inscription 3

Inscription on the Tenor. (Sharpe figure 64).

The stained glass of the west window of the nave was designed by John Piper as a memorial to his friend John Betjeman, who lived at the Old Rectory at one time. They collaborated on architecture books; such as “The Berkshire Architectural Guide ” 1949.

The inscription in Delabole slate beneath the window was cut by Simon Verity and placed there in 1986. It reads:

In memory of
SIR JOHN BETJEMAN
1906 - 1984 Poet Laureate
sometime resident at the Old Rectory Farnborough
This window, designed by his friend John Piper
and executed by Joseph Nuttgens, was placed here
by the Friends of Friendless Churches.

I am the Resurrection and the Life

Points of interest in church: Western window memorial to Sir John Betjeman

Travel Details: OS Grid Ref: SU434819 - Park in the street but avoid the dangerous bends

Local points of interest for non ringers:

Several scratch mass dials and some gargoyles on the tower. The Old Rectory garden is open for charity as part of the National Gardens Scheme.

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