A bell frame is the structure in which a ringing bell is hung. The term covers two things: the frame inside a tower in which the bells hang, and the free-standing structure — usually of oak, with a small pitched roof over it — that carries a bell in a churchyard or beside a church with no tower.
Free-standing bell frames are best known from the Dutch province of Friesland and, to a lesser extent, Drenthe, where villages without the means for a masonry tower still wanted a ringing bell. They consist of two heavy posts with braces, a head beam from which the bell hangs, and a simple roof of tiles or slate. Many of them are listed monuments. The Dutch name is klokkenstoel.
The structure
A bell frame has to carry not just the weight of the bell but above all the dynamic forces generated when it is rung. A swinging bell exerts horizontal forces that can be a multiple of its own weight. That is why a bell frame is always richly braced, and why in towers it is usually kept clear of the masonry so vibration does not pass straight into the walls.
Where it applies
- In church towers — a timber or steel frame bearing on corbels or a wall plate
- Free-standing in a churchyard — the characteristic Frisian bell frame
- At monasteries, town halls and gatehouses
- In modern form — steel frames and glued-laminated timber frames in new churches
Maintenance points
- Timber keeps moving — oak joints in a bell frame work and dry out; check the condition of tenons, pegs and brace connections periodically
- The junction with the tower — rot occurs precisely where timber sits in or against masonry; keep the beam ends ventilated
- Vibration damage — cracking in the masonry high in a tower can often be traced to the bell frame; have this assessed by an engineer with conservation experience
- Roof and cappings — a free-standing frame is fully exposed; the little roof and the capping over the post heads determine its life
- Consent — work on a listed bell frame nearly always requires consent
Related terms
- Roof structure
- Brace
- Bell gable
- Tie beam
- Truss
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