St.Paul’s church stands in the middle of a square in the Jewellery Quarter. It is a rectangular building in the neo-Classical style, with a western tower and spire. It was the second of the two churches built under the Act of Parliament of 1772 “for building two new Chapels, and providing Burial Places thereto, within the Town of Birmingham”. The first, St.Mary’s, was completed in 1774 and eighteen months later, in March 1776, the Trustees set about the task of raising funds for St.Paul’s “near to New Hall”. A great deal of information about the new church is recorded in the notebook of Henry Kempson, who was secretary of the Trustees at the time of its construction, 1776-9.

Plans were supplied in 1776, together with a model of the proposed church, by the Wolverhampton master joiner, nurseryman, surveyor and architect, Roger Eykyn. His scheme was derived from the pattern book of James Gibbs, modified and improved under the influence of Samuel Wyatt of London who assisted as consultant architect. The builders were Standbridge & Co. The first brick was laid by Mr.Winwood on 29 May 1777 and the church was consecrated on 2 June 1779. It remained a chapel of ease to St.Martin’s until a separate parish was created in 1841.

The tower and first bells

The church of 1777-9 is illustrated in William Hutton’s History of Birmingham. The engraving shows the west end with the unfinished tower, with a low pyramid roof over the first stage, which was square with circular openings for the clock dials. The belfry stage and steeple were added in 1822-3 to the designs of Francis Goodwin. A contract drawing, bearing the signatures of the principal subscribers and signed on 6 August 1822 by the mason, Matthew Seaborne of Birmingham, survives among the parish records. The upper part of the tower is octagonal on the outside and circular within. The steeple cost £1097 and Seaborne undertook to complete the work by 25 May 1823. The specification indicates that the existing unfinished tower, suitably modified, was reused as the foundation for the new steeple as shown in the contract drawing.

Until 2005 the tower contained three bells, as follows:

The two smaller bells were installed in 1874 as quarter bells for the new clock. The larger bell was used as a service bell, and the present one probably replaces a bell of similar size installed in 1823 (with the spire) or 1779 (when the church was completed). All three bells have canons. They have not been turned. The treble has been chip tuned inside, the second is a maiden bell and the tenor has been skirted or edged.

The hour bell was hung for ringing in an oak frame positioned in the centre of the tower. Its fittings, which were derelict, were those supplied by Warners in 1858, including a wooden stock, strap gudgeons with stock hoops, open brass bearings with wooden covers, wheel, iron wheel stay, stay and slider. The bearing brasses had been re-set in steel plates at some time and the supporting ironwork was replaced in about 1980. The clapper was missing but its wooden top was still attached to the crown staple.

The framework was older than the present bell and probably dated from 1823 or even 1779. Neither Kempson’s notebook nor the papers regarding the new steeple make any mention of the bell or frame but the church accounts confirm that there was a bell before 1858. The initials NH were carved on one of the braces. It was of relatively slight construction and it evidently required strengthening quite soon after it was installed. It consisted of sills, braces, jack-braces and long heads, with X-bracing in the outer sections. Extra timbers had been inserted between the braces at the top and bottom, and secondary jack braces were applied outside the frame. The braces were secured to the sills with iron bolts. The bell was hung to swing north-south and the frame stood on the floor of the bellchamber, which was renewed in 2003.

The other bells were hung from deadstocks in a taller wooden framework to the west of the main frame. They were sounded by clock hammers only. One of the clock bells (the second) has a cast-in clapper staple, and the other has the remains of a broken staple.

The new ring of ten - "The Voice of St Paul's"

The new ring of ten bells decorated for the dedication service

In 2005, a new peal of ten bells in the key of F sharp (732hz) – dedicated in the church on Sunday 2nd October prior to installation in the following week – was placed in the tower as “the Voice of St.Paul’s” and to mark the 250th anniversary of the St.Martin’s Guild of Church Bell Ringers. The official opening took place on 25th November 2005.

The bells are hung in two tiers in a galvanised steel H-frame for the ringing peal; the upper tier contains the two largest bells plus an additional two dumb-bells for teaching purposes, the lightest eight hang in the lower tier. They have Taylor ringing fittings including cast iron stocks, ball bearings etc. The clock bells have been resited above the new steel frame, the hour bell in its original frame and fittings but without the wheel.

Ringing takes place from the former clock chamber, behind the circular windows which form the clock dials; the chamber beneath is being refurbished as a teaching room for the "Birmingham School of Ringing - St Paul's".

Hear the bells

 Click here to listen to a recording of the bells ringing Stedman Caters (50s - 250kB - mp3)

The "Opening" of the Voice of St Paul's

The bells were officially opened by the Lord Mayor of Birmingham on Friday 25th November 2005, a little over a year since the fundraising began. A peal was rung prior to the ceremony, and celebrations continued in the Rectory Bar opposite, a major sponsor of the project. A second "opening peal" was rung on December 1st.

Acknowledgements

The historical information and details of the bells has been generously provided by Christopher J Pickford, and is subject to his copyright.

*Bell weights

The weights of the bells are given in the tradition form of "hundredweight-quarters-pounds"