A bellcote, bell-cote or bell-cot is a small framework and shelter for one or more bells. Bellcotes are most common in

church architecture Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as Church (building), churches, chapels, convents, and seminaries. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly ...

but are also seen on institutions such as schools. The bellcote may be carried on

brackets A bracket is either of two tall fore- or back-facing punctuation marks commonly used to isolate a segment of text or data from its surroundings. They come in four main pairs of shapes, as given in the box to the right, which also gives their n ...

projecting from a wall or built on the roof of

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

s or churches that have no towers. The bellcote often holds the Sanctus bell that is rung at the

consecration Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

of the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. The bellcote is mentioned throughout history books when referring to older structures and communities. ''Bromsgrove church: its history and antiquities'' is one example which goes into depth about the construction and maintenance of the bellcote

Bellcotes are also discussed in The Wiltshire Archæological and Natural History Magazine
Volume 8
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Proceedings of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural ..., Volume 29
A

bell-gable The bell gable (, , ) is an architectural element crowning the upper end of the wall of church buildings, usually in lieu of a church tower. It consists of a gable end in stone, with small hollow semi-circular arches where the church bells are ...

is similar, located at the apex of a

gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...

or building end wall.

Etymology

''Bellcote'' is a compound noun of the words ''bell'' and ''cot'' or ''cote''. ''Bell'' is self-explanatory. The word ''cot'' or ''cote'' is Old English, from Germanic. It means a shelter of some kind, especially for birds or animals (see

dovecote A dovecote or dovecot , doocot (Scots Language, Scots) or columbarium is a structure intended to house Domestic pigeon, pigeons or doves. Dovecotes may be free-standing structures in a variety of shapes, or built into the end of a house or b ...

), a shed, or stall.

References

Church architecture {{Church-architecture-stub