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The present Tower dates from 16th Century. The Spire was given in 1770 by the Earl of Halifax, Lord of the Manor, who offered the parishioners the choice of spire or an endowment for a Sunday afternoon sermon. They chose a spire, on the ground, it is said, that it would always point to Heaven, whereas a sermon might not! This shingled spire was built of Stansted oak in the “Chinese taste”, with an open balcony midway, but these ornamentations were removed in 1860. There are eight bells. Originally there were four, but in 1770 the Earl of Halifax was so pleased that the people of Westbourne had chosen a spire rather than a sermon that he had the bells recast and augmented to form a ring of six . In 1933 two of the bells, which were cracked, were recast, and an iron frame was substituted for the old oak one. Two new bells were also added, making eight in all.
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