St. James' Anglican Church is embarking on a project of refurbishment and renewal of the historic "Bells of St. James", an eleven-bell chime of tower bells housed in the graceful tower overlooking the Avon River and Lake Victoria. A new bell-frame of steel will replace the aging white-oak timbers that have withstood ninety-nine bitter winters and hot summers. As part of the fundraising effort St. James' is seeking sponsors for the original bells, for four new bells, for the chimestand, for the clock transmission to the bells, for the mechanism to swing "Big Joe", and for the new steel bell-frame.

  The 11 original bells range from the 2,100 lb. "Big Joe", the booming tenor bell, to the clear high note from the 280 lb. Choir bell. All of the bells in the original chime were gifts of individuals and groups both in the parish and in the wider community of Stratford. All have inscriptions and dedications inscribed on the bells; some are memorials to family that have passed on, and one is in memory of a long reigning Monarch. All of these bells, if sponsored, could have a suitable inscription engraved on the opposite side. Bells are wonderful, vibrant creations of fire and bronze easily lasting centuries if maintained: the 11 original Meneely & Co. bells today sound as crisp and lively as they did when cast almost 100 years ago! As part of the refurbishment the bells will be cleaned and polished, new mounting hardware will be fabricated, and the tuning of the bells, which was begun a century ago, will be completed to modern carillon standards.

  We are adding four new high bells to expand the musical capabilities of the chime, which will result in a 15 bell chime. If the chime is thought of as an "F" chime, that is with the tenor (lowest) bell ringing an "F" note, the bells would range from F to F to C in a major scale, with three semitones, or "accidentals". The notes of the new bells would be F#, A, A# and C. These would be newly cast, polished and tuned bells. Again, if sponsored, a suitable inscription could be engraved on each bell, a gift to ring on through the decades!
 

  The eleven-bell white-oak pump-handle chimestand will be rebuilt utilizing as much from the original playing stand as possible - there's a lot of history there. Within the existing frame the original handles will be refinished and spaced closer together, and four new handles will be fabricated from oak and installed. A set of new foot-pedals will be provided for at least the lower notes: no more knee-notes! A brass plaque, suitably inscribed could be installed on the stand.

  The Tower Clock. The 1909 E. Howard & Co. #3 Chiming Tower Clock utilizes four of the chime's bells to play the Westminster Quarters and the Hour. The clock is still original and unmodified and is still hand-wound: a rarity in this automated, electronic age. A sponsor is needed to cover the costs of fabricating five new gravity bell hammers and installing the new connections (the transmission) necessary between the clock and the bells. The St. James' Tower Clock is presently the only such installation in Stratford that rings bells on the quarter-hours. In years past such clocks were known as "Everyman's Watch" in an age when personal timepieces were an expensive rarity. Today the quarter-hours ring melodiously over Stratford every 15 minutes to provide a pleasant background to a modern fast-paced world, and a reminder of a less hectic past.
 

     Big Joe is a swinger! Our 2,100 lb. tenor bell is equipped with a large cast iron yoke pivoted on ball bearings, mounted on a pair of "A" stands. There is a large six foot spoked wooden wheel that is wrapped with a one inch rope which descends through the belfry floor to the chimestand room, allowing the chimer to swing the entire assembly. Weight-wise, think of it as swinging a VW Beetle sixty-five feet in the air. There is a free-hanging clapper inside the bell that stikes each side of the sound-bow as the bell swings through an arc of close to 180 degrees. We are talking BIG sound here! The bell produces the most beautiful, vibrant, shimmering notes that rise and fall with the rotation of the bell. All of this 100 year old hardware will have to be replaced to allow Big Joe to be swung safely in the decades to come.

    Bell Frame. Without a question the old white-oak bell frame, the open structure of timbers from which the bells hang and ringing hardware is mounted, has served us well. However, 100 years of exposure to the elements has taken its toll. A new bell frame is needed to provide a solid foundation to the chime. It will be fabricated from steel, finished in corrosion resistant coatings, and tailored to fit the fifteen bells that will make up the enhanced chime. The bell frame is perhaps the most important single element of the project, tying together a collection of bolts & bells, pulleys & springs into a wonderful, sonorous musical instrument; the largest and most public in Stratford: a Chime of Tower Bells! Of course a plaque, suitably inscribed and dedicated, would be mounted on the frame.

    On a project of this magnitude there are many details to be funded that are not as easy to package as the sponsorship opportunities defined above, but they are every bit as essential to successfully renovating the chime. There will be some tower modifications needed, transportation costs incured, crane rental to remove and install the bells, and so on. You can be a "Member" of the Project by committing to $500.00 over the three-year period of the Renovation Campaign. At the $500.00 level your contribution will be gratefully recognized on a plaque near the entrance to the tower. This provides some recogition to those most important individuals and groups wanting to contribute to saving the Bells of St. James at a level they are comfortable with. The Bell Restoration Committee is at your disposal and would be glad to hear your request or suggestions.

    I want to be included, but I'm not a member of St. James'. Together we are working to provide the magic of the bells for everyone... A Chime of Tower Bells is perhaps the most democratic of all musical instruments. The rolling notes from the Bells echo far beyond the walls of the tower, and over the years the Chime has become an integral part of the fabric of community life in Stratford.