|
Other Sounds of Oxford and Beyond
by Andrew Dunn
Here you can find audio recordings of (mainly) bells that are not from churches within our own branch. Those of the bells ringing can be heard using an ordinary MP3 player. Those of the bells striking may be used within a sequencer, such as Abel, to simulate the sound of the ring. Getting a perfect recording is always very difficult, but I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I did in their making. You can, of course, hear more recordings on the towers page.
 |
Holywell, Oxford City Centre St Cross SP519066 St Cross Road Oxford OX1 3TU 6 bells 9-2-22 cwt-qr-lb 493 kg Ab
|
The church of St Cross, Holywell, Oxford City was originally built in about 1160. A tower was added in the late C13th and it houses six bells ranging in date from 1620 (the fifth) to 1874 (the treble). They hang from a frame of cast iron installed by Messrs J Taylor & Co. The date painted above the tower's sundial reads A.D. MDCCCIII (1803). A rambling churchyard contains the graves of many famous people, including that of Kenneth Grahame, the author of The Wind in the Willows. Next to the church is Holywell Manor, hosting post-graduate students of Balliol College. The church itself has now also been acquired by Balliol, to become its Historic Collections Centre. The recording of the bells ringing was made on 24-09-08, during a quarter peal of Norwich Surprise Minor by Oxford University Society ringers. That of the bells striking was taken during the final Sunday service on 12-10-08. Now that the church is deconsecrated, it is not known whether the bells will ever be heard here again.
 |
Witney, Oxfordshire St Mary the Virgin SP356093 Church Green, Witney Oxfordshire OX28 4AW 8 bells 16-3-11 cwt-qr-lb 856 kg E
|
