Hadnall,Saint Mary Magdelene
One bell and eight tubular bells SY4 4AG SJ 522200
The bell bears the name of no founder but is ascribed by H B Walters to Ellis Hughes, a Shrewsbury founder for whom only about a dozen bells are known. The Hadnall example is dated 1695 and is 19¾" in diameter. It has a full set of cannons and is hung 'dead' from a wooden headstock. It used to serve as a clock bell. It has a cast-in loop to attach the clapper, but this is currently detached.
The tubular bells were installed sometime between 1903 and 1906 by Harrington Latham & Co. The octave is hung in two rows of four from a wooden frame on the top chamber of the tower. The biggest tube is 81½" long with an external diameter of 3¾" and an internal diameter of 2⅜". The smallest tube is 60½" long and is only slightly smaller in diameter. All the tubes are stamped 'Harrington's Patent Tubular Bells'. The octave is in C. The bells are 'rung' from a stand in the lower chamber. The installation has been extensively overhauled by Iain Coull.
The Ellis Hughes bell
The clapper
Detail of the cannons
The tubular bells
The playing position
Two details of the tube suspension and playing mechanism
