OS: SP113705
Tanworth-in-Arden, St Mary Magdalene
The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene in Tanworth-in-Arden can be found on the East side of the village green near the centre of the village. There is space for some parking near the Church. The ringing room is reached by climbing a spiral staircase whose entrance is from within the tower. The ringing room is quite spacious with wood panelled walls and narrow rectangular windows on three walls.
I visited for the first time on Saturday 5th July 2008 as part of our 2008 tour and while we did not manage to ring a great deal I did find them a pleasure to ring.
The Bells
The tower has a ring of 8 bells with a tenor weighing 12-1-25 in F♯. Dove's Guide includes details of the bells at St Mary Magdalene. For some reason Dove's Guide does not include information on bell inscriptions so they are shown in the following table.
| Bell | Note | Diameter | Weight | Inscription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Dove's Guide to the bells at St Mary Magdalene |
In mem William Henry Smart (1858-1934) D.D. Sara Anne Smart, his wife 1949 Gloria tibi, Domine |
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| 2 | In mem Winifred Smart (1888-1948) D.D. William H Smart, her husband, cw 1949 in te domine, speravi |
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| 3 | Prosperity to the church 1707 S. Mary Magdalene 1949 |
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| 4 | Richard Sanders of Bromsgrove cast us all 1707 Mears & Stainbank of Whitechapel recast us 1949 |
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| 5 | Henry Haris, John Salltor C.W. 1707 W.H.Smart. T.A.Barratt, Churchwardens 1949 |
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| 6 | HH JS CW 1707 The ringers bell 1949 |
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| 7 | God save Queen Anne 1707 God save Kink George and QE 1949 |
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| Tenor | Mr John Welchman Vicar William Chambers Thomas Parsons William Hyatt Richard Insull churchwardens 1733 Dudley W. Lee M.A. Vicar 1949 recast by Mears & Stainbank 1949 |
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While geographically Tanworth-in-Arden is in Warwickshire, the parish church of St Mary Magdalene is affiliated to St Martin's Guild of Bell Ringers for the Diocese of Birmingham.
