Bell Ringing at St Oswald’s
For all enquiries, in the first instance please contact the Tower Captain Jan Alexander (01943 878355).
If you wish to arrange bells for a wedding, please contact a member of the clergy team.
This picture of a bell is part of a window in the ringing chamber at Guiseley. Below the bell, a short inscription is shown:
“Ring in the valiant man and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
Ring out the darkness of the land,
Ring in the Christ that is to be.”
Last verse of the poem “Ring Out, Wild Bells” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Guiseley Bells
Guiseley church has a fine ring of eight bells.
The eight bells were recast, rehung with new fittings in a new cast iron frame in 1946 by Gillett & Johnston, Croydon.
The bells were re-dedicated on the 3rd August 1946, by The Right Reverend Bishop Stanton Jones, D.D.
No. | Note | Weight | ||
Cwts. | Qrs. | Lbs. | ||
1 | F | 4 | 3 | 21 |
2 | E | 5 | 0 | 13 |
3 | D | 5 | 1 | 16 |
4 | C | 6 | 0 | 22 |
5 | Bb | 8 | 0 | 0 |
6 | A | 9 | 1 | 4 |
7 | G | 12 | 2 | 17 |
8 | F | 16 | 3 | 7 |
68 | 1 | 16 |
The Venerable Sidney E. Lowe, Archdeacon of Bradford and Rector of Guiseley.
W. M. Brooke, R.G. Rawnsley, Churchwardens
Ringing Times
The bells are currently rung on Sunday mornings between 9 and 9.30am and on Monday evenings between 7.00 and 8.30pm. There is no ringing on Good Friday or on other Public Holidays. Please contact us if unsure.
Visiting Ringers
We welcome visiting ringers at our normal ringing times. At other times outing organisers, quarter and full peal attempt organisers should email (preferably) or write to the tower secretary requesting the necessary permission. This will allow us to check with the Rector for other bookings. Standard fees apply to visiting ringers outside normal ringing times.
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GUISELEY RINGERS OUTSIDE ST. OSWALD’S CHURCH, 1911
Standing –
John Sunderland, Frederick W Dixon, Thomas M Thompson, John Bulmer Jackson
Seated
Demaine Bros. William Dixon, David Rhodes.
April 1946: St Oswald’s Church, Guiseley: Photographs kindly Donated by Brian Haigh
The information shown below gives an invaluable insight into the removing, recasting and replacing of the bells in 1946.

Scaffolding on top of the church tower, erected to enable the church bells to be safely lowered to the ground.

Dismantling a bell from the bell frame.

Guiding a bell over the tower parapet before lowering to the ground.

A bell being lowered from the church tower watched by foundry workers from Gillet & Johnstone.

Top The Rector of Guiseley Archdeacon S A Lowe with the eight bells before they went to the foundry to be recast.
Bottom From the left, Roland Thompson chairman of the bell committee Archdeacon Lowe Arthur Cyril Walsh bell committee and bell ringer.

Saturday August 3rd, 1946: Photo taken on St Oswald’s Festival Day, after a ceremony to re-dedicate the newly recast church bells, the bells were placed across the chancel from pulpit to lectern. With the
Rector of Guiseley Archdeacon Lowe is the Right Honourable Bishop Stanton Jones DD

Lifting a bell out of the bell pit, note the half wheel.

A bell safely removed from the bell pit

Bell lifted safely from the belfry.
The stone the foundry worker is standing on has the name J B Jackson carved on it, John Bulmer Jackson died of wounds on July 18th, 1918, he had been one of the church bell ringers.

In this view men from the foundry are moving a bell down the church path towards the Lychgate on the right.

The eight recast bells with new steel headstocks at Gillet & Johnston Ltd, Bell Founders, before delivery

The eight recast bells assembled in the new steel frame


Interior of the church on the day the church bells were re-dedicated, from the left are Reginald Rawnsley, Rector’s Warden William Brooke, Archdeacon Lowe Rector of Guiseley and the Right Honourable Bishop Stanton Jones DD.
The re-dedication of the church bells which took place during St Oswald’s Festival. From left to right are: Right Honourable Bishop Stanton Jones DD, Arthur Cyril Walsh, James Downs, Archdeacon Lowe Rector of Guiseley.

Dismantling a bell from the bell frame.

Guiding a bell out of the belfry, it was going to be recast.

Bell suspended by the church clock as it is being lowered from the church tower.


In this view men from the foundry are moving a bell down the church path towards the Lychgate

Gillet & Johnston Ltd, Bell Founders & Clockmakers of Croydon, the lorry holds nine bells, eight old bells from St Oswald’s and in the top right-hand side of the lorry is the bell from the old Orchard Street School.
The donor of the photo, Brian Haigh says the building in the background of the lower image is Mrs Kellet’s sweet shop, the choirboys would buy sweets there on Sundays and eat them during the sermon, this was before 1939.

LONG SERVING GUISELEY ST. OSWALDS BELL RINGERS

D. E. Rhodes

Henry A Demaine

Samuel Brown aged 85 in 1934 he rang the bells for 65 years

James Baldwin

Joseph Yeadon