Love's Guide to the Church Bells of Kent

Quex Park, Waterloo Tower

Photo: Dickon Love

12 bells hung for full circle ringing
Tenor: 14¾ cwt approx. in F.
Grid Ref: TR310680
Rung from: Ground Floor
Frame: 1818 Charles Oliver, made of timber (back 8) 1951 Mears & Stainbank (front 4 originally above the 8, then moved below the 8 in 1981)
Kent County Association of Change Ringers District: Canterbury
Building Listed Grade: II Click for Heritage details.
Peals rung at the tower

Details of the Bells

	Bell	Weight (most recent)	*(As supplied in 1818)*	Diameter	Note	Date	Founder	Canons	Retuned
®	Treble	3-0-2		22"	C	1951	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel	Flat	Never
®	2	3-3-20		24"	B♭	1951	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel	Flat	Never
®	3	4-1-7		25"	A	1951	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel	Flat	Never
®	4	5-0-26		27"	G	1951	Mears & Stainbank, Whitechapel	Flat	Never
®	5	5½ cwt approx.	5-2-14	29"	F	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	6	5¾ cwt approx.	5-3-4	30"	E	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	7	6 cwt approx.	6-1-11	30½"	D	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	8	6½ cwt approx.	6-3-25	33½"	C	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	9	8-2-11		34½"	B♭	1989	Whitechapel Bell Foundry	Flat	Never
®	10	9½ cwt approx.	9-3-4	38"	A	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	11	11 cwt approx.	11-2-7	40¼"	G	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never
®	Tenor	14¾ cwt approx.	15-1-20	45½"	F	1818	Thomas Mears II, Whitechapel	Removed	Never

® - Hung for full circle ringing

Bellframes

Position

Frame

Bells

Year

Maker

Material

Truss(es)

Local
Layout

Lower belfry

1,2,3,4

1982

Whitechapel Bell Foundry

Metal

Upper belfry

5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12

1818

C Oliver

Timber

8.3

Inscriptions

How the bells are tuned

The 4 trebles to 1951

Bell	Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
Treble	3-1-19	24"	1818	Thomas Mears I	Never	Recast 1951
2nd	3-3-0	24½"	1818	Thomas Mears I	Never	Nearly the same note as the 3rd. Recast 1951.
3rd	4-0-20	25½	1818	Thomas Mears I	Never	Nearly the same note as the 2nd. Recast 1951.
4th	4-2-6	26"	1818	Thomas Mears I	Never	Recast 1951

The original 9th

Bell		Weight (most recent)	Diameter	Date	Founder	Retuned	Fate
9th		8-1-9	35¾"	1818	Thomas Mears I	Never	Recast 1989

History

	1818		The Waterloo Tower was built and 12 bells cast by Thomas Mears.
	1819		The new bells were hung in the tower by Charles Oliver in March and were official opened on 4th August.
	1951		Front 4 bells recast and rehung by Mears & Stainbank who also rehung the remainder on ball bearings.
	1982		Bells rehung by Whitechapel with entirely new fittings. The trebles were rehung in a new frame beneath the back 8. The canons were removed from the back 8 in the tower so they were never subsequently reweighed.
	1989		9th bell broke in an accident and was recast by Whitechapel.

Articles

"The Waterloo Tower, Quex Park, Birchington-on-Sea", Author unknown (The Ringing World) 24 August 1979

"Stained glass peal board restored at Quex", Basford, Hazel (The Ringing World) 1 May 1985

"Disaster at Quex - the full story", Basford, Hazel (The Ringing World) 7 July 1989

" Further news of Quex", Author unknown (The Ringing World) 1 September 1989

"Back to twelve at Quex", Sheekey, D (The Ringing World) 24 November 1989

"Quex well and truly quartered", Love, Dickon R (The Ringing World) 29 November 1991

"The Squire's Toy", Offen, Richard C (The Ringing World and Lovesguide) 1 January 2004

Pictures of the tower

Looking up into the spire.
Photo: Dickon R Love, 4 Aug 2019

The tower.
Photo: Dickon R Love, 4 Aug 2019

Pictures of the belfry

The upper belfry (back 8).
Photo: Dickon R Love, 4 Aug 2019

The upper belfry.
Photo: Dickon R Love, 4 Aug 2019

Pictures of the ringing room

During the ringing.
Photo: Dickon R Love, 4 Aug 2019

Peal Boards

Metal Performance Board dated approx. 1980
17 Jan 1952: 5040 Grandsire Triples (1st on the bells since rehanging)
26 May 1980: 5040 Plain Bob Triples (160th anniversary of the 1st peal by the Quex Ringers)