Some 'Boomer' Facts...

• The Elsee bell is in the note of B flat, nad is made of 13 parts copper and 4 parts tin.
• It is 5ft 9ins in diameter, and weighs over 64 cwt (it's heavier than the tenor at St. Paul's cathedral!)
• The 'Boomer' is the heaviest bell in Warwickshire.
• On the side of the bell, the there is the Rugby School Coat of Arms, the School motto (Orando Laborando) and "In rememberance of Charles and Mary Anne Elsee- their children gave me to Rugby School".
• The son of Charles Elsee (Charles was Mathematics Master at the school, 1859-1896) was Canon Henry Elsee (1864-1936), who was a ringer, and for 46 years was the President of the Lancashire Association of Change Ringers.
• The bell was dedicated on the 21st July 1914.
• During World War One the Elsee Bell was rung every day at noon, and everybody stopped to remeber Rugbeians who were involved in the conflict.
• At first, the bell was hung for full-circle ringing, but in 1963 there was no-one to ring it, so electric motors were fitted.
• In 1987, it was discovered that the bell was damaging the tower, and so it was rehung on a cast-iron horse-shoe shaped headstock. The original headstock is currently on display in the Taylor's foundry museum in Loughborough, Leicestershire.
• The bell was first rung on the 16th September 1914 by James George, who was the Master of the Warwickshire Guild of Church Bell Ringers. He was a very enthusiastic ringer...in 1986 he was the master of the St. Andrews ringing society when the 8 bell tower was new. In 1911 he became Master of the Warwickshire Guild. He rang his thousandth peal in 1928 at the age of 75!! He continued to ring over fifty peals whilst he was in his 80's, however he had to stop after his leg was amputated, so he continued to ring on handbells instead!!

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This page was last updated on 8/10/04