Coventry DG Website

History

This is a pretty village built, obviously, by the River Avon. It is worth spending a while resting here. Lots of open space and decent pubs! The church is in the centre of the village and is easy to find. Don't be fooled by the photograph; behind that tree is the market place!

The bells are a fairly easy going ring of 8 that are rung from the ground floor, behind a nicely carved screen. The tower is small and therefore the bells are on two levels. The frame and fittings are all by Taylors, 1954. The four old bells were one-eighth turned, as they had been quarter-turned by Messrs Webb and Bennett of Kidlington, Oxon, who rehung the 6 in July 1908. The previous frame was described thus: "Bells hung awkwardly in two tiers, the upper three very difficult to reach", by Tilley writing in 1878.

In 1681 the existing bells in the tower were recast into 5, probably by Richard Keene of Woodstock, tenor being around 9cwt. Subsequently there was a ring of 6, all cast by John Rudhall in 1791. The old tenor weighed 13-1-13 when cast. They arrived in Bidford by river on 23rd February 1792.

There is plenty of on-street parking by the church.

Being on the edge of the Coventry Guild and the Worcester & Districts Association this tower has links with both. Here is a link to the W & D entry for Bidford