Front door bell

[Innerise]

Hi

I have stumbled upon this forum and hope that I might get some assistance with a few queries... I've managed to learn a fair few bits having had a good nose round.

We have recently bought a lovely old semi, date built currently unknown ( I am waiting on the title deeds) but I think it's turn of the century, or thereabouts.

I'm very curious about the front door, I feel it is original but cannot be sure but it's the door bell that I am most intrigued about. The push botton is still intact but the bell part is missing.

Hopefully these photos give you an idea!

Cheers

 

[JoceAndChris]

From what I can see in the pics it looks early 20th C to me - similar to my friend's house in Berkhamsted built around 1912. Nice features, and a search on Ebay may reveal a working bell that's suitable - it's going to be hard to get the missing bits to what you have there though.
Good luck with your new home; exciting times for you!

 

[Keith Bowman]

The bell might have been a clockwork wind-up type: I think there was a discussion about them on here some time ago, but my search didn't yield an immediate result.

 

[Flyfisher]

That was my first thought as well. I remember being fascinated as a child by a wind-up doorbell on a grandparent's front door. The mechanism was wound up by turning the actual bell dome on the inside of the door. I suspect my parents and grandparents were not as fascinated by the constant ringing and rewinding as I was :lol:

Some modern equivalents are listed here, though I'm sure there must be more info out there with a more thorough search:
http://doorchimesuk.co.uk/catalog/index.php?cPath=39

 

[plasticpigeon]

Yes, that looks like a wind up bell, with the wind up bit removed. A rod passes through the door and actuates the mechanism when pressed. I have one on my front door, from the 30s with a bakelite push. Sounds like a fire alarm, but doesn't scare off the double glazing salesmen mores the pity.

 

[Feltwell]

When a friend bought his first house it had a clockwork bell, it was the main thing everyone commented on! And yes, like FF, the kids loved to play with it. It too was wound up by turning the bell, unlike the adults who were soon wound up by the kids ringing it.........

I have an fairly old mains-powered doorbell wired directly into the consumer unit, which always seems a bit OTT to me! It looks fairly lethal but it's well out of reach thankfully. Now I just need to train people who come to the door how to use a doorbell, it's quite prominent, rings loudly enough to be easily heard from outside, but half of them still seem to fail to notice it....

 

[88v8]

With a bit of ingenuity, you may be able to use this
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Antique-Mechanical-Clockwork-Wind-Up-Turtle-or-Tortoise-Hotel-Service-Call-Bell-/390976063304?pt=Vintage_Antique_Toys_US&hash=item5b07fd4748

Welcome to the forum.

Ivor

 

[Innerise]

Thanks all for the feedback... Much appreciated.

 

[Penners]

I remember being fascinated as a child by a wind-up doorbell on a grandparent's front door.

My grandparents' Cornish home had a slightly different mechanical bell. As you pushed the button (quite hard) on the outside of the door, it actuated a mechanism inside the bell dome that spun a rotating clapper arm, which rung the bell. Releasing the button made it spring out again, which repeated the ringing actuation (presumably spinning the arm the other way).

I should add that the above explanation relies on (a) memory and (b) a fair bit of assumption. I was not yet the kind of youth who dismantles things to find out how they work! All I know for sure is that the bell went ding-a-ling-a-ling when you pushed the button, and ditto when you released it!