The Warner 12 cwt eight that formerly hung in Porthmadog Parish Church is to be fully restored and hung in St Mary’s Betws y Coed.
The entire installation dates from 1900, with the bells being augmented from six to eight in 1902. The cast iron bell side frames will be sand blasted clean and refurbished before being rebuilt on a new galvanised steel grillage. The wooden headstocks will be replaced with new cast iron stocks, and new gudgeons and ball bearings will be manufactured and fitted. The bell wheels will be re-soled and re-shrouded. The rope roller boxes, clappers and crown staples, sliders and stays will all be restored or replaced. The bells will be cleaned and tuned and a new set of bell ropes supplied.
The existing 11 cwt Warner bell from 1873 at Betws y Coed will be hung dead in a new frame as an hour strike for the clock, which will be driven by a new Apollo Unit and drive mechanisms..
* The tenor bell has been removed and the Porthmadog bells, frame and fittings are now at Loughborough.
*Â The bells have been cleaned by gentle sandblasting.
* The cast iron bell frames have been cleaned by sand blasting and have been primed ready for their gloss paint.
* The bell frame is being reconstructed in our works.
* The bells are in the tuning shop.
* The bell frame is being installed in the tower.
* The bells and their fittings are ready for dispatch.
* Installation in the tower nears completion.
* The bells have been rung for the first time.
This project has been completed.
