Fornham St Martin, Suffolk, S Martin
| Place | Fornham St Martin S Martin |
| Lieutenancy area | Suffolk |
| Country | England |
| Historic county | Suffolk |
| Dove tower ID | 16763 |
| Rings | 8 (full-circle ring), tenor 11–3–2 in F♯See below |
| Frames | 1See below |
| Grid reference | TL852669 |
| Latitude & longitude | 52.26954, 0.71316View on map, or get directions from Google MapsList nearest towers |
| Satnav lat & long | No optimised destination for satellite navigation has been submittedAdd details |
| Postcode | IP31 1ST |
| Diocese | St Edmundsbury and Ipswich |
| Church group | Church of England |
| Listed grade | II* by Historic England |
| Church heritage record | 11858 |
| URL | http://www.suffolkbells.org.uk/towers/fornhamstmartin1.php |
| Affiliation | Suffolk Guild |
| Performances | Search for performances on BellBoardCustomise |
| Peal boards | No peal boards have been uploaded to BellBoard yet The Central Council is collecting photographs of all peal boards, and curating and uploading them to BellBoard. This includes material from earlier systems found here. |
Ring of 8, tenor 11–3–2 in F♯
| Bells | 8 (full-circle ring)Edit details |
| Tenor | 11–3–2 (1318 lb or 598 kg) in F♯ (747.7 Hz) |
| Practices | Tue |
| Projects & overhauls | 2024 by Nicholson Engineering Ltd (major overhaul) Bells rehung in a new steel frame, tuned, 6th welded, and augmented to 8 using two tenors sourced through the Keltek Trust |
| Tuned | 2024 |
| Peals | View 19 peals in the Felstead Database |
| Also | Ground floor ringing chamber |
| Bell | Weight | Frequency | Note | Diameter | Dated | Founder | Canons | Turning | Hanging | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3–1–4 | 1506.8 | F♯ | 24.13″ | 1844 | Charles & George Mears | R | Y | FC | ||
| 2 | 3–1–5 | 1405.0 | E♯ | 25.19″ | 1844 | Charles & George Mears | R | Y | FC | ||
| 3 | 3–3–27 | 1251.7 | D♯ | 26.56″ | 1844 | Charles & George Mears | R | Y | FC | ||
| 4 | 4–1–11 | 1118.4 | C♯ | 28.56″ | 1844 | Charles & George Mears | R | Y | FC | ||
| 5 | 4–3–27 | 1000.0 | B | 30.44″ | 1908 | Mears & Stainbank | R | Y | FC | ||
| 6 | 5–2–16 | 935.6 | A♯ | 32.69″ | 1844 | Charles & George Mears | R | Y | FC | ||
| 7 [2] | 8–2–7 | 836.4 | G♯ | 36.63″ | 1752 | Abel Rudhall | R | 4 | FC | ||
| 8 [3] | 11–3–2 | 747.7 | F♯ | 40.13″ | 1924 | John Taylor & Co | F | FC |
Details of frame
| Frame | Bells | Year | Material | Maker | Truss | Layout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 | 2024 | Steel | Nicholson Engineering Ltd | 8.1.B.a | 8.3 |
Notes
[1]Note on original option to incorporate former tenor from Garthbrengy
The former tenor of the ring of 4 at Garthbrengy, removed in 2013, was originally earmarked to be used in the augmentation to eight; however, in 2023 it was found to be cracked and so instead it has been scrapped.
Published: 27/02/2020; updated: 27/12/2023
[2]Bell 7/8 history
Bell 7/8 was previously bell 6/8 at Rochdale, S Chad, Lancashire.
Published: 28/12/2023; updated: 30/11/2025
[3]Bell 8/8 history
Bell 8/8 was originally hung for full-circle ringing at St Paul’s, Truro where it was a single bell. It was removed in 2018 and hung at Fornham St Martin as the new tenor during the augmentation of 2023.
Published: 02/09/2024; updated: 30/11/2025
Update log
| 17/12/2025 | PN added [Neal Dodge] |
| 02/10/2024 | Restoration project complete, bells now ringable and augmented to 8 [Neal Dodge] |
| 13/08/2024 | 1-8: weight, nominal, diameter amended; frame added [Andrew Nicholson] |
| 27/12/2023 | Updated the note concerning the bell from Garthbrengy [David Kelly, Keltek Trust via Tim Jackson #267] |
| 10/12/2023 | 1-6: canons amended; 6, nu8 canons added [Neal Dodge] |
| 19/10/2023 | Frame Fr1 (Hurr(e)y 1844): maker amended; frame removed [Neal Dodge] |
| 17/10/2023 | Bells removed from the tower, project to rehang and augment to eight now underway. [Neal Dodge] |
| 26/09/2023 | Project description amended [Andrew Nicholson] |
| 26/06/2023 | Ringing currently not permitted pending restoration [Tim Jackson] |
| 24/04/2023 | Project description amended [Andrew Nicholson] |
| 22/03/2023 | New project added: rehang in new frame and augment to 8 with Keltek sourced bells [Neal Dodge] |
| 01/01/2023 | Frame Fr1: maker amended |
| 27/02/2020 | Nu7,Nu8: ('as received') details added [Tim Jackson via e-mail] |
| 17/02/2020 | Intention to augment to 8 noted [Sharpe Trust application via JCB] |