News from the Belfry 

As a stillness settled over our country – nay; our world, the doors of countless businesses, and places of worship alike closed in an unprecedented suddenness. You might therefore assume that the silence of our bell tower at St Bart’s was solely as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, yet there is a far more exciting reason for its quietness….

In December 2019 I personally had the privilege of meeting the Bart’s Bell Ringers, spectating as they practised and played the incredible and enormous bells that hang above their heads from the giant mechanisms that hold them firmly in place in the belfry. Below is a photo I took at the time.

The technical side of bell refurbishment is far above my pay grade, I shall therefore pass the authorship over to Chris and Dave who have put together a description of exactly what has been happening:

“The last time our bell installation had a major overhaul was in 1929, when the bells were recast and rehung on a new frame. Since then, these beautiful sounding bells have served Penn faithfully and have been enjoyed by many people over this ninety-year period. This long period of continued use has, however, led to more than a small amount of wear and tear in the components of the installation. Therefore, it was decided last year to arrange for a specialist to inspect the bells and subsequently carry out a full overhaul.

The major refurbishment began on 1^st June when the bells were removed from the frame and all moving parts were taken back to the company’s premises for inspection and repair/replacement. The list includes newly refurbished clappers, new main bearings, new stays, bolts, washers and sliders etc. Gale breakers are also being installed on the windows to prevent inclement weather causing corrosive damage in the bell chamber.

The accompanying photographs show the bells in various stages of removal from the frame. There are views of the bell chamber and ringing room with block and tackle sets used for lifting and lowering the bells and heavy fittings. One shows the remains of a leather washer from a bell, greatly worn after ninety years use. Headstocks and clappers are lined up ready to go for renovation.

At the time of writing, work has begun reinstalling this equipment and refitting the bells ready for ringing as soon as we possibly can, subject to Covid-19 precautions. In the meantime you will be hearing our wonderful 10cwt tenor faithfully ringing out the hour. As a bell ringer it is an enormous privilege to witness this work, and to be among the first band  to ring the bells following this major overhaul which is a huge investment in the future of ringing in Penn, hopefully into the next century.”

It could almost be Gods will that the completion of the works coincided almost exactly with the governments announcement that our church can once again reopen its doors, welcoming us back like the warm hug that we’ve all missed so much over the months of lockdown.  

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