Summary
On 11th May 2006 a bell with an electrical striking system was mounted in the belfry over the porch of Romsey Public Library to replace the one which was removed during WW II. The work had been commissioned by the Romsey and District Society and funded by Cleansing Services Group Ltd and Romsey Town Council. It was supplied and fitted by Taylors Eayre and Smith in co-operation with Hampshire County Council who were extending the library building at the time.
1. Preliminary work
The belfry over the porch of Romsey Public Library is a very handsome structure. But since World War II, when the bell was removed and the ornate chimney alongside it was pulled down, it has looked forlorn and neglected with only the wreckage of the headstock remaining. The subject of its restoration had occurred previously in discussion at Executive Committee meetings of the Romsey and District Society but in 2004 a serious effort was made to do something about it.
The first thing to do was to try and discover what had happened to the original bell some 50 years ago. Searches in the Hampshire Record Office and LTVAS files produced some interesting information about the library building and its history but nothing to indicate where the bell might be found. A letter to the Romsey Advertiser did however produce a result. A reader responded saying that he had seen the bell in the porch of the Old Vicarage (Folly House) during the period when Canon Norris was vicar. However, that seemed to be the last time the bell had been seen in Romsey and from then on the trail went cold.
Searches also failed to produce a picture showing the size of the bell but did uncover the original drawing of the building by the architect, William Eden Nesfield. Bells assumed something close to their present shape about 1000 years ago but Nesfield does not seem to have kept up with the times. Although the bell in his drawing is very attractive it is quite unlike any other. Nevertheless, it gives a good impression of the size he intended.
Some photomontages were made up using a picture of Big Ben that had to be markedly reduced in size to fit into the belfry. A 15-inch diameter bell was indicated by the Nesfield drawings but photomontages were made up using a nominal 15-inch diameter and two others slightly above and below this size. These were then shown to a number of groups of people and it was interesting to find that the 15-inch bell was chosen almost without exception as being the most appropriate size for the belfry.
The preliminary work now out of the way, the next task was to find a suitable bell, get some quotations for fitting and hanging it and to discuss timescales with HCC who, at the time, had plans to extend the library and carry out some general refurbishment.
Finding a bell of the appropriate vintage and 15 inches in diameter was an interesting task. Surprisingly, there is a charitable trust called the Keltec Trust based in Salisbury which has the objective of finding homes for unwanted bells. But although the Trust had an impressive list of bells there was nothing at the time that met the requirement.
Nesfield's drawing of the Library |
Several companies in the business of hanging bells were approached and the one chosen was Eayre and Smith who were based in Derby at the time. In November 2004 Bob and Ruth Smith came to see the belfry and said they knew of a suitable bell that was in the store of bell-founders Taylor and Co at Loughborough. They subsequently quoted a price incorporating the Taylor bell which turned out to be as near to meeting the requirement as was likely to be achieved. |
