Church of the Advent

Church of the AdventThe bells of the Advent were donated by Robert Codman in memory of his wife Catherine. They were cast in 1900 by Mears and Stainbank, in Whitechapel, London. An American ringer watched them being cast and wrote:

“… I saw a mass of white-hot metal as a ladle-full was extracted for sampling purposes. The testor, finding the mixture too brittle, ordered a little more copper. Two helpers appeared, carrying between them a huge ingot of copper, and thrust it into the molten metal where it rapidly dissolved. When all was ready a door was opened at the bottom of the furnace and the thick glowing mass slowly made its way along a system of troughs arranged in the form of a main river and its tributaries. The metal disappeared down a hole at the end of the first tributary, and gradually filled the underground mould of the heaviest bell. When the hot air and dust shot spitting out of the vent hold, a barricade was rapidly built … and the endless stream flowed on the the next branch. Thus … the eight moulds were filled with the homogeneous mixture of bell metal, as is necessary to ensure the same quality of tone in all the bells of a peal.”

– Margaret Homer Shurcliffe, Lively Days

Despite splendid beginnings, the bells were rung for just three or four years — and then only occasionally — because of neighbors’ complaints about the noise. For seventy years the bells hung unused in the tower, the louvers inexplicably left open. In 1971, Doug Brown, the tower captain of Groton, rediscovered them. Volunteers removed the accumulated debris and pigeon droppings, and the bells ushered in the New Year in 1972. They have rung out — Arthur Fiedler said gloriously — for holidays as well as the weekly service ever since.

The Eight Bells of the Advent

Bell 1 (Treble) E flat 666 lbs 2’6″ diameter

Bell 2 D 708 lbs 2’7″ diameter

Bell 3 C 781 lbs 2’9″ diameter

Bell 4 B flat 951 lbs 2’11.5″ diameter

Bell 5 A flat 1065 lbs 3’2″ diameter

Bell 6 G 1198 lbs 3’4″ diameter

Bell 7 F 1553 lbs 3’8″ diameter

Bell 8 (Tenor) E flat 2163 lbs 4’1″ diameter

The bells of the Advent were donated by Robert Codman in memory of his wife Catherine. They were cast in 1900 by Mears and Stainbank, in Whitechapel, London. An American ringer watched them being cast and wrote:

“… I saw a mass of white-hot metal as a ladle-full was extracted for sampling purposes. The testor, finding the mixture too brittle, ordered a little more copper. Two helpers appeared, carrying between them a huge ingot of copper, and thrust it into the molten metal where it rapidly dissolved. When all was ready a door was opened at the bottom of the furnace and the thick glowing mass slowly made its way along a system of troughs arranged in the form of a main river and its tributaries. The metal disappeared down a hole at the end of the first tributary, and gradually filled the underground mould of the heaviest bell. When the hot air and dust shot spitting out of the vent hold, a barricade was rapidly built … and the endless stream flowed on the the next branch. Thus … the eight moulds were filled with the homogeneous mixture of bell metal, as is necessary to ensure the same quality of tone in all the bells of a peal.”
– Margaret Homer Shurcliffe,
Lively Days

Despite splendid beginnings, the bells were rung for just three or four years — and then only occasionally — because of neighbors’ complaints about the noise. For seventy years the bells hung unused in the tower, the louvers inexplicably left open. In 1971, Doug Brown, the tower captain of Groton, rediscovered them. Volunteers removed the accumulated debris and pigeon droppings, and the bells ushered in the New Year in 1972. They have rung out — Arthur Fiedler said gloriously — for holidays as well as the weekly service ever since.

The Eight Bells of the Advent:

Bell 1 (Treble) E flat 666 lbs 2'6" diameter

  Bell 2 D 708 lbs 2'7" diameter

  Bell 3 C 781 lbs 2'9" diameter

  Bell 4 B flat 951 lbs 2'11.5" diameter

  Bell 5 A flat 1065 lbs 3'2" diameter

  Bell 6 G 1198 lbs 3'4" diameter

  Bell 7 F 1553 lbs 3'8" diameter

Church of the Advent  Bell 8 (Tenor) E flat 2163 lbs 4'1" diameter

Note: One hundredweight (cwt) is 112 lbs. One quarter (qr) is 28 lbs. These are the time-honored measues of the weights of change ringing bells

The bells of the Advent were donated by Robert Codman in memory of his wife Catherine. They were cast in 1900 by Mears and Stainbank, in Whitechapel, London. An American ringer watched them being cast and wrote:

“… I saw a mass of white-hot metal as a ladle-full was extracted for sampling purposes. The testor, finding the mixture too brittle, ordered a little more copper. Two helpers appeared, carrying between them a huge ingot of copper, and thrust it into the molten metal where it rapidly dissolved. When all was ready a door was opened at the bottom of the furnace and the thick glowing mass slowly made its way along a system of troughs arranged in the form of a main river and its tributaries. The metal disappeared down a hole at the end of the first tributary, and gradually filled the underground mould of the heaviest bell. When the hot air and dust shot spitting out of the vent hold, a barricade was rapidly built … and the endless stream flowed on the the next branch. Thus … the eight moulds were filled with the homogeneous mixture of bell metal, as is necessary to ensure the same quality of tone in all the bells of a peal.”

– Margaret Homer Shurcliffe, Lively Days

Despite splendid beginnings, the bells were rung for just three or four years — and then only occasionally — because of neighbors’ complaints about the noise. For seventy years the bells hung unused in the tower, the louvers inexplicably left open. In 1971, Doug Brown, the tower captain of Groton, rediscovered them. Volunteers removed the accumulated debris and pigeon droppings, and the bells ushered in the New Year in 1972. They have rung out — Arthur Fiedler said gloriously — for holidays as well as the weekly service ever since.

The Eight Bells of the Advent:

Bell 1 (Treble) E flat 666 lbs 2’6″ diameter

Bell 2 D 708 lbs 2’7″ diameter

Bell 3 C 781 lbs 2’9″ diameter

Bell 4 B flat 951 lbs 2’11.5″ diameter

Bell 5 A flat 1065 lbs 3’2″ diameter

Bell 6 G 1198 lbs 3’4″ diameter

Bell 7 F 1553 lbs 3’8″ diameter

Bell 8 (Tenor) E flat 2163 lbs 4’1″ diameter

Note: One hundredweight (cwt) is 112 lbs. One quarter (qr) is 28 lbs. These are the time-honored measues of the weights of change ringing bells

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