Bell refurbishment

Bells are a tradition of English parish churches that is valued by many and our own peal will not last much longer without major works.

The project is to remove our 6 bells from the tower and send them away to the Whitechapel foundry to be fully refurbished and tuned. Then return them to the tower with new running gear. Whilst the bells are out of the tower the existing wooden frame will be strengthened to help it last another couple of hundred years.

The total cost of the project is £37,420.
However we can save some of this cost by doing some of the work ourselves with the help of members of the Kent County Association of Change Ringers (KCACR). This will bring the figure down to £29,482.

We have received donations for this project from:
  All Churches trust
  The Bell Restoration Fund
  The Baron Bell Trust
  Mrs Davison
  R&J Hill
  Bea King
  Mr Stook
  Waitrose
  Mr & Mrs West

The bells were removed from the tower on Dec 30th, 2009, and set off to Whitchapel.
A number of members from the church visited the foundry on January 16th.

On March 2nd, two of the bell ringers visited the foundry to see how the work was progressing.

Bells number 5 & 6 had been tuned and were ready for their headstocks and all six wheels have be made:

Bell number 2 had just been tuned and was being weighed:

And bell number 1 was being put on to the bell tuning lathe and tuning started: